Help me with my expenses during cancer treatment

Like many people, I've been unemployed since the beginning of the pandemic. Last summer, as pandemic unemployment insurance was coming to an end, things were looking up. I was getting calls back on job applications, and my partner Gretchen's cancer treatment was approaching a successful conclusion. Then I got sidelined by my own cancer diagnosis. I've used up my resources, and I've accumulated some debt, so now I'm asking for your help.

 

I was diagnosed with a germinoma in August. This is a rare type of cancer, it’s usually diagnosed in childhood, and it’s relatively easy to treat. I've been in treatment at Dana-Farber since then, and I should be done in mid February. I've been getting excellent care, and it's being covered by my insurance, but I won't be able to work until I've recovered, which should be at the end of March. More details of what happened are below, and I would be happy to receive questions.

 

(first day of chemo)

I’ve been having chronic headaches for the past two years. My neurologist grew suspicious and ordered an MRI, which I had in late July. It showed a cystic mass in the brain near the pineal gland. The tumor was blocking a channel for cerebrospinal fluid and causing enlargement of the ventricles and increased pressure in the brain (hydrocephalus). He said that this tumor is complicated and would need to be treated at Brigham and Women’s Hospital / Dana-Farber. He told me that hydrocephalus could be dangerous if it got much worse, and that if I had increased symptoms, I should go to the ER.
 
The following week (at the beginning of August), I started having mild intermittent double vision. I reported it to my doctor, who said to go to the ER. Gretchen took me to the ER at Brigham and Women’s, and I was admitted. I had surgery the next day - a ventriculostomy, which created a channel for the fluid to drain, relieving the hydrocephalus. The surgeon was able to get a biopsy of the tumor at the same time. I was discharged a few days later.

The biopsy results came back after about a week. The standard treatment for germinoma is chemo followed by radiation. I had four rounds of chemo, one every three weeks, from late September through the week of Thanksgiving. I start proton radiation on January 13, and it will last about five weeks. I will likely be experiencing significant side effects until the end of March.

 

This has been a scary process, and financial impact is a big part of that. I greatly appreciate any help you can offer.