My name is David Brown. I am 78 years old.

I moved to Floyd County, Virginia, in 1975, over 50 years ago. During that time, I have been active in the community in many ways: as a pioneering “back-to-the-lander” in the ’70s and ’80s; as a carpenter and home builder in my middle years; as a maker, marketing my hand-bound marbled journals at the Floyd Farmers Market and other local venues; as the Volunteer and Repair Coordinator for the Floyd Initiative for Safe Housing; and as a parent raising children, along with my wife, Mary, in Floyd.

In June of 2026, after a long process involving two surgical biopsies and much uncertainty, I was diagnosed with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL). DLBCL is considered an aggressive cancer originating in the lymph system, but it is also a cancer that responds well to treatment.

Traditional Western treatment for DLBCL is a four-plus-month course of chemotherapy consisting of six 21-day cycles. As of mid-September, I am finishing cycle two. My oncologist says that I am tolerating the chemotherapy well and that my critical numbers look good. My lymph nodes are shrinking. I am optimistic.

I also underwent a ten-day course of targeted radiation for a lymphoma mass that was pressing on my lumbar spine and had cracked a vertebra. The radiation successfully shrank that mass, and I am beginning to be able to walk pain-free again. This is a great relief.

My wife, Mary, is my primary caregiver. She is my immeasurable helpmate. My children, Briah and Sage, give deeply and are inspirations, for which I am more than grateful. Neighbors have rallied around our needs—helping move heavy things, changing propane tanks, giving me rides to appointments, loaning me equipment, offering meals, giving gifts from the earth, helping with driveway work. The list goes on, and continues to do so.

My medical treatments are largely covered by insurance. I am fortunate and thankful for that. What isn’t covered is the financial disruption that comes in cancer’s wake—the loss of income, mounting household expenses, and the additional costs of getting through treatment and recovery.

Chemotherapy has significantly reduced my ability to work in my small craft business, and my wife has also had to reduce her yoga teaching. At the same time, the ordinary costs of maintaining our home and property continue: heating, necessary vehicle repairs and maintenance, driveway and property work, and property taxes. We are also trying to afford supportive therapies such as acupuncture and craniosacral therapy, along with fresh vegetable juices and other nutritional support, as I make my way through treatment and recovery.

We have already drawn down roughly half of our savings to help absorb the financial impact, and I am asking for help so that we can get through this period without exhausting the financial cushion we have left.

So, here I am on GoFundMe. Asking for help has never been easy for me. Having cancer is even harder. Anything you give will help offset the financial disruption of this period and help us get through treatment and recovery without exhausting the resources we have left.

Thank you in advance. I truly appreciate you, your kindness, and any assistance you can provide.

David