My name is Guy Schwartz, and I have known and worked with Roger Tausz for more than fifty years. He has been my bass player, recording engineer, producer, musical partner and one of my closest friends for most of my adult life. Last winter, Roger and I were both preparing for shoulder surgery. I needed a complete shoulder replacement, and Roger had a torn rotator cuff that needed to be repaired. Before either one of us could be cleared for surgery, the doctors had to make sure that a couple of old men like us could withstand it. During Roger’s testing, they discovered a mass in his lung. That mass turned out to be non-small cell lung cancer, involving an area in and around a nearby lymph node. Instead of getting his shoulder repaired, Roger began chemotherapy. Roger is not much of a numbers guy, and he is even less comfortable asking people for help. When this started, he insisted that he would be able to handle everything himself. I suggested several times that he let me put together a GoFundMe page, but he did not think it would be necessary.

For a while, it looked as though he might be right. After the doctors adjusted a few things to help with some of the smaller side effects, Roger began tolerating chemotherapy better than many people do. He has not suffered from the crippling nausea or complete loss of appetite that people often associate with chemotherapy. But that does not mean he has been doing well. He has been extremely weak. He has had a very hard time sleeping. His memory has become unreliable, and he has increasing trouble putting things in order and keeping track of what needs to be done. Roger has always been a little bit of a spaceman. That is part of Roger. Unfortunately, chemotherapy has not improved the navigation system. Because of the weakness, exhaustion and memory problems, Roger did not fully recognize how much financial trouble was building around him. A car payment here, a medical deductible there, regular household expenses and all the other costs that do not stop just because somebody has cancer began adding up. He kept getting a little too broke before the next Social Security check arrived. Then he got further behind. By the time he realized how serious the situation had become, he had lost his car. That finally got his attention.

The good news is that Roger’s cancer appears to be shrinking. The next step will be radiation or surgery to remove what remains, while he continues chemotherapy and then begins recovering from whichever course his doctors determine is best. The bad news is that he has reached this next stage without reliable transportation and without the financial cushion he needs to get through treatment and recovery. We are raising funds to help Roger recover or replace reliable transportation so he can get to treatment and medical appointments, catch up on essential household bills and expenses that fell behind during chemotherapy, pay medical deductibles, copayments and related treatment expenses, cover food, utilities and basic living costs while weakness and memory problems limit how much he can work, and keep his recording studio operating so that he can continue earning money and working when his health allows it.

Let’s help keep Roger alive, working and making music.