First off, this is really hard to do. This has been a really difficult year for us, and many people don't know why. In March, Will was diagnosed with stage 3B testicular cancer. He had surgery immediately and started chemotherapy around Easter. He finished the 12 weeks we were told it would take at the beginning of July.

Mid-July he had his scans to make sure everything was gone, and the chemo had done what it was supposed to.... Only it hadn't. The tumor in his abdomen on his lymph node was still there, it only shrunk by a couple of centimeters. It started at 8 cm and is now 6. We have been referred to Seattle to see a specialist for surgery.

We really thought we were through everything and ready to get back to normal. We thought we were set, we've been extremely lucky that our insurance is a low deductible and out of pocket maximum. So, expenses haven't been as bad as they could have been.

We haven't met with the new doctors yet, that is coming up. We have no idea what we are in for, but we do expect surgery. We don't know how many times we'll have to go over there. Being in Eastern WA it is quite a trek to get to these appointments. We are looking at flying for the surgery, 45 minutes to an hour sounds a lot better that a 4-hour trip home. Hopefully soon we will know exactly what will be necessary.

Meanwhile, I am about to start fall term (my final quarter for my AAS, the BAS will have to wait a little longer). State paid FMLA only pays about 85% of my wages, and Will hasn't been able to get back to work. We don't know what recovery will look like, so we are clueless about when he'll be able to start working again.

I have had people ask me to let them know what I need help with. Some days it feels like if I stop and think about it, I will break down and not get going again. So, at this time, this is what I can come up with. The financial burden, while not as great for us as it could have been, it's definitely where I need some help.

Thank you to anyone who has made it this far. I know it is a lot to throw at people and can be kind of shocking, but it is our reality.