My name is Chris, and at 57 years old, I have found myself facing the hardest battle of my life. I was recently diagnosed with Chondrosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. While I am determined to fight this with everything I have, the financial toll of this diagnosis has become an overwhelming weight that I can no longer carry alone.

For my entire adult life, I have been the provider. I have worked tirelessly to support my family of four, ensuring they had everything they needed to build a good life. Being the "strong one" who pays the bills and keeps the household running is a role I have always taken great pride in. Now, for the first time, I am unable to do that.

Currently, I am on short-term disability, but the reality is devastating: the payments do not even cover my monthly rent, let alone the rising costs of cancer treatments, medications, and daily living expenses. It is a terrifying feeling to work your whole life to build a foundation for your family, only to watch it crumble because of a medical crisis you never saw coming.

My greatest motivation to get healthy is my family. I have a beautiful daughter, Lina, and a wonderful son, Joe. I have a beautiful granddaughter, Adelyn—Joe’s daughter—who is the light of my life. I want to be there to watch her grow up, to play with her, and to see the person she becomes. I also want to be the husband my wonderful, dutiful wife, Marianne, deserves. She has been my rock through this, and it breaks my heart to see her burdened by the stress of our mounting bills while she tries to care for me.

I am starting this GoFundMe because I need help—not just financially, but to restore my hope. When you are fighting cancer, your focus should be on healing and survival, but the constant fear of eviction or utility shut-offs makes it impossible to find peace. Your donations will go directly toward covering rent and essential monthly utilities, medical expenses not covered by insurance, transportation to and from oncology appointments, and relieving the financial pressure on Marianne so she can focus on our family.

If you are unable to donate, please consider sharing this page with your network. Every prayer, every share, and every dollar brings me closer to a place where I can focus on beating this cancer and getting back to being the provider my family needs.

Thank you for reading my story, for your kindness, and for helping me believe that I can survive this and see a brighter future with Marianne, Adelyn, and my children.

With gratitude,

Chris