Hello, all you beautiful people! My name is Andrew from Tucson, Arizona. I am here to share my story and hope that your generosity will aid my recovery.

I grew up in a family that cherished time in the outdoors, always hiking, camping and just enjoying nature. This upbringing heavily influenced the hobbies and activities I engaged in as an adult. My recent passions have been Mountaineering, Ultra Trail Running and Disc Golf. The variety of excitement and fulfillment I get from these combined enriches my life exponentially. My 2023 goals were to summit Denali on my 40th birthday week, run my first 100-mile trail race, and compete in the PDGA Masters World Championships for Disc Golf.

On October 2nd, 2022, I began feeling strange, not necessarily sick, but not my usual self. Two days later, I collapsed and went straight to the Emergency Room. They found a mass between my left lung and my heart pressing against my trachea. Weeks of tests, scans, blood work, and biopsies diagnosed it as Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma. The location of the Lymphoma in my chest makes breathing very laborious and swallowing food challenging at times. Even speaking to becomes so taxing to my system that I need to rest after a phone call. These limitations have confined me to my house except for doctor's appointments or a quick stop at the grocery store.

I was always healthy, rarely got sick, and almost had no significant issues to speak of in the last 20 years. So when I chose my health insurance plan, it was with this in mind. Unfortunately, my plan does not benefit me in any way with the cost of cancer treatment. Very high deductibles mean I will be out of pocket for a considerable amount of money immediately, with many months of treatment still to go. This led me to GoFundMe, a chance to get help with the financial stress and focus on my healing. This money will go directly to medical tests and procedures, chemotherapy, medications, and other essential needs while fighting cancer. This is certainly a life-changing point in my life, but I want to feel like I could get back to the mountains, the trail, or the course soon! My goal is to come out to the other side as a cancer survivor without medical debt crippling me for years.

I appreciate every single one of you that have read my story and is considering supporting me. It means so much; thank you!