Update 4.16.26 - 20th Round of Chemo!
Hey y'all, I know haven't given a proper update in a while. I've been struggling to find the right time and the right thing to say.
First off, I want to thank everyone that has donated, bought merch, streamed music, shared a post, sent a meme, text, phone call, or said a prayer for me. I was truly and pleasantly overwhelmed by all of the support and love.
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Today I begin my 20th total round of chemotherapy. Which is an incredible thing for me to think about. Things are good, overall.
My type of cancer is called DSRCT. It's an exceedingly rare type of sarcoma that generally begins in the pelvis or abdomen and spreads to other systems. I've got masses throughout my abdomen and pelvis. When I first went to the doctor, I complained of shortness of breath. This was because the disease was causing fluid to build up in the space around my lung and had collapsed my lower left lung.
When I first got my diagnosis about 15 months ago, I wasn't sure if it was in the cards for me to be here this long.
The Red Devil treatment I was on for most of last year was draining me so quickly and completely. It was working to some degree, but at a heavy, heavy cost. If the cancer didn't take me out, the treatment was going to. Then, it just stopped working.
Luckily, through advancements in cancer research, an old Breast Cancer drug was showing very positive results for treating my type of cancer. The hope is that I can stay on this medicine for as long as possible to give my tumors time to shrink and hopefully be a good candidate for surgery in the future.
So far so good, the medicine working and is shrinking the tumors!
Every 3 weeks I need to receive another dose. Then I spend the next 2.5 - 3 weeks recovering from the treatment. Then repeat.
Recovering between cycles is tough - I constantly try to remind myself that the pain, discomfort, fatigue and other symptoms I feel are just side effects of treatment, not from the cancer. In fact, on the days right before the next treatment, I generally feel pretty normal.
Also, during those 3 week cycles, I spend a lot of time going to appointments, fighting with the insurance companies, and doing as much normal stuff as I am able to do. You may have seen me fishing with my wife on social media some recently
People ask often if I'm in remission or how much more treatment I have left. With this type of aggressive cancer, there really isn't an end to treatment. If I'm able to have surgery someday, I will mostly likely need to be on chemotherapy for years afterwards with constant monitoring for new tumors.
So what does this mean for me regarding performances??
This means that I'm going to do as much as I'm able to do. For as long as I'm able to do it. Especially, while I'm on my current medicine. I have to be very selective of which shows I take now, because I only have small windows when I can travel but I'm getting out there more now!
So, if you're looking to book me, reach out to my manager, Stacy - [email redacted]
So what does this mean for the GoFundMe??
I'm planning to leave it up.
Even though I'm getting out an playing a couple of shows a month right now, I'm nowhere near the capacity I was at before my diagnosis. I used to play 10-15 paid shows a month, so I am losing significant income moving forward.
As long as I am in this fight, I will need support.
If you're able to support here, it is much appreciated
If you're able to support by sharing my music, buying merch on Bandcamp/at shows, streaming songs, etc., it is also appreciated.
Thank you all so much for getting me this far. You don't know how great of an impact it's has made.
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Original update- Feb 2025
Hi family, friends, and fans,
Many of you know I've been very I'll and in the hospital for over a week. I felt it necessary to wait until I had a proper update on my diagnosis and treatment plan before making a public post.
I have been diagnosed with a rare Stage 4 cancer and will begin chemotherapy treatment today. This type of cancer most commonly presents in lifelong smokers 20 years older than I am.
Short Phone calls and texts etc to connect. After I'm out of hospital will be so appreciated. I love you all and hearing from you lifts my spirits so high.
Many will ask best ways to support me. Please read below.
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My journey so far:
I went to the urgent care two weeks ago (Jan 23rd) after having some shortness of breath. The doctor took an xray that showed fluid in my chest. He sent me home with antibiotics for pneumonia but ordered a CT scan as well. It took a week for me to get in for the CT scan (1/30) and by this point I was very short of breath.
The CT scan showed my chest cavity was nearly completely full of fluid on the left side and my left lung was collapsed. It also showed some masses in my abdomen incidentally.
My doctor called about an hour later and told me they suspected cancer and needed to go to the emergency room to be admitted to the hospital and do further scans and drain the fluid in my chest.
They drained some of the fluid and ordered an additional CT scan of my abdomen. This scan showed numerous tumors in my abdomen.
Fast forward to today and they have run pathology and given a diagnosis. I begin chemotherapy today for an undetermined amount of time.
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How you can help:
Obviously I will need to cancel gigs and appearances for a while. This is particularly difficult for me to announce as I have been working for nearly 15 years to get to this point in my music career. This February (and 2025) was lined up to be my most financially successful ever. I will lose a very significant amount of income from gigs that we're lined up this year.
2025 was shaping up to be my best year of my professional music career. Since many, if not all my gigs will need to be canceled or rescheduled, I will lose the majority of income from this source as well as the momentum I've worked for over the past decade +.
The best ways to support me are:
- support the GoFundMe
- donate directly to my venmo @justingoldenmusic
- Follow me on my social media pages - Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, YT
- stream my music on Spotify, etc 24/7. Creates passive income for me
- buy a T-Shirt, Album, CD, Poster on Bandcamp
- Share posts and music with friends.
- send me a funny meme
- Be ready to book me for speaking event or show after I beat this thing!
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Rhapsody Stuff (Youth Music Education Non-profit)
Donate to Rhapsody scholarships for Augusta goal $5k. I want RVA youth to experience this fantastic opportunity this summer. Grants have been applied for, but more support is always needed.
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Day Job Stuff! (Yes I still do mortgage loans full time)
**Referrals help!** My team can handle the legwork if I need them to. I have closed 4 loans since being in the hospital
I will still be accepting mortgage applications after I get out of hospital. I will need to keep working to keep my insurance up.