I was officially diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer with additional lesions on my liver just after Thanksgiving 2025. I’d been dealing with some gastrointestinal discomfort for the last couple weeks, but with over the counter meds it was getting better. Fast forward to Wednesday of Thanksgiving, I went to our local trivia night and was told my color was “off”- thinking it was a gallstone or something similar, Emily drove me to Beaufort Medical Center and upon CT scans and blood work, a mass was found on my pancreas.

Needless to say, we’re in shock. I don’t drink, smoke, indulge in recreational drugs, I have no family history and no diabetes- my blood work (other than my liver enzymes) came back exceptionally clean. Because I’m so young with no other risk factors, my doctors at this point feel that we can aggressively treat this cancer, get it managed and it can hopefully be something I live with for years to come. As my oncologist said “you’re a unicorn with this diagnosis, so you are a unicorn in terms of treating this.”

I’ve got Emily, my family, our cat Basquiat and large found family that are going to help me fight this. While this type of cancer isn’t one that you “cure”, it is manageable once controlled, and I’m going to fight like hell for every damn day- whether that’s 6 months or 20 years. I don’t plan on quitting teaching or making art, but for my good I’d like to document this process alongside my art.

No wasted days.

Since being diagnosed and fighting this cancer with chemo, I have been able to sustain treatment financially. As treatment progresses, I have run out of sick days and bills are beginning to take a toll. In order for me to fight this thing with all my strength, I need help making sure that I can afford lost work days and future treatment. This is not the road that I ever hoped I would need to take but here we are. I must keep fighting and I will do anything I can to do so.

Thank you for anything you are able to do to help out. Emily and I really appreciate it. I know that we will need more as my battle continues but this is just a start.