First off, thank you for taking the time to come to this site and read these posts. This site was created by myself and my family to try and show people who Randall William Rhoten was. While I know most who visit this site possibly won’t have known him directly, it is through this site that I hope to tell the world more about him. We did this because of how much we love him and how much he still means to us….
So, who was Randy?
Randall “Randy” William Rhoten was born in Munster, Indiana on July 26, 1995. As a baby, he hated sleeping and was very clingy, always wanting to sleep with me and his mother. While seemingly normal, he developed a little more slowly than other babies his age, and didn’t really start talking properly at the age he should’ve. Even with that, we didn’t think there were any serious problems. Randy didn’t exhibit anything too unusual until tragedy struck at age 4…..
Randy was diagnosed with Stage 3 brain and spinal cancer. He was treated briefly at the University of Chicago Hospital at the beginning of January 2000. In the following weeks, his treatment proved ineffective and we were given an option: take him home and make him comfortable (AKA prepare for death), or go the experimental route and travel to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland and be a guinea pig. We were left with no choice and picked going to Maryland. That started an odyssey that led us to have many new adventures and meet many kids who had unique health problems. A hard experience, but a rewarding one. We’ve never forgotten the families we met there….
After many years of treatments, MRI scans, and countless blood tests, Randy tried to embark on the best life he could live. That involved several trips to Disney World, a trip to Disneyland and California, countless baseball games with his friends, and hundreds of games of bowling. Randy even found the love of his life, which we are eternally grateful for. They went to many dances and “proms” together, which made for so many wonderful memories. In his brief 25 years of life, Randy lived more than most of us who live double his years. He laughed, told corny jokes, made us laugh with his silliness, and showed a resilience that I’ve never seen in another human being. Randy left this world November 15, 2020 with no warning at the young age of 25, a night that will haunt my family and I for the rest of our lives. He truly was remarkable and is terribly missed.
This site was set up with the intention of not only remembering Randy for who he was, but also as a place for us to share stories, share pictures, and reflect on an incredible young man who graced us with his presence for a far too short 25 years that he was here for. Thank you for reading the posts that will be coming in the days, weeks, and (hopefully) years to come. Thank you all for stopping by, and thank you for taking the time to read about and remember Randy’s life with us…..thank you, friends.
For the love of Randy... 