My name is Michael West. I went into the emergency room on November 20, 2024, for jaundice-like symptoms. After a 7-day stay in the hospital, I had a stent inserted into my bile duct and 2 biopsies to look at a mass on my pancreas. I was also diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. All this was a complete surprise. The mass was confirmed to be cancerous. Now we are looking at chemotherapy treatments and removing the mass.

I am self-employed as a house painter, which I am unable to do at the moment. We have 2 children living at home and going to school. My wife also worked with me as a painter, which leaves both of us unemployed.

As I go through the treatment process, what we realized is every little bit is going to help with everyday expenses, including getting to and from treatments.

I want to say thank you in advance for any and all help. We will keep updating as we proceed with the treatments.