My dad was just diagnosed with invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the right tonsil: throat cancer. The single most important thing right now is speed. This type of cancer has a 75-90% five-year survival rate with prompt treatment. Every week of delay makes those numbers worse.

Brazil's public health system has a 52-day wait just to see a surgeon, not to mention the additional wait for treatment, so we are bringing him to California. He has lodging secured for the estimated 4-6 months of treatment and recovery and his team at the Stanford Cancer Center is forming. He is 66, a father of three, and he coparents his 7-year-old son in Brazil. Leaving his youngest son will be the hardest part, but he is doing it so he can be there for him for years to come. Just last month, our family lost his oldest brother to cancer. Now we are facing it again.

Where the money goes:

Round-trip international flight: $1,000

Medicare out-of-pocket costs (deductibles, coinsurance on surgery, radiation, imaging): $5,000-$15,000

Living expenses in California during 4-6 months of treatment: $5,000-$10,000

Childcare for his 7-year-old in Brazil: $2,000-$3,000

Emergency medical fund: $3,000-$5,000

Carlos Sauer has spent his life helping people, supporting indigenous communities in Brazil and the US and showing up for friends, family, and strangers whenever they needed him. Just this month he finished helping the Fulni-o Indians of Pernambuco build a sacred community space equipped to welcome visitors, providing a source of income for one of the poorest communities in Brazil. He continued to finish the job even after his diagnosis, flying to Pernambuco last week with a lump in his neck and a biopsy report in his hand. Now it's our turn to show up for him. If you can't donate, sharing this page is just as powerful. Your network might reach someone who can help.

With love and gratitude,

Kodiak Sauer