Hi there, I'm Roger, i live in Portland Oregon. I was diagnosed last month with Stage 3 colon cancer. I had a bout with testicular cancer 11 years ago and thought that was my one and done canceer experience, but that was not meant to be. I had surgery and radiation treatment a decade ago, so that rules me out for radiation this time around and I have gone straight to chemotherapy. I will have 6 cycles if i am lucky, but more likely 8 (2 weeks per cycle puts me at about 4 months of infusions).

Last time I had cancer, it was a full year before my energy was back up to par, and I am expecting a similar experience this time. My job has been very paitient and understanding with sick days, but I have quickly drained those resources. The medical bills aren't piling up too much yet, but the cut in pay from using the state disability is already starting to hurt. I am looking at the next 6 months of mortgage payments and bills and I'm already on a tight budget when I'm healthy, the 2026 budget is going to be stressful. Thank you for your support and reading through this.