Help Support Devon While He Battles Cancer

In April, my life partner and other half Devon Brown was officially diagnosed with an invasive form of oral cancer in the form of a large tumor that’s grown to take over nearly the whole right half of his tongue. In June, he will undergo surgery to remove the right half of his tongue and subsequently reconstruct it using tissue from his arm and/or leg. As the doctors put it, this will be a majorly life changing, but also life saving operation.

Following the aforementioned surgery, Devon will spend 7-10 days as an inpatient in the hospital, 2-3 of which will be spent in intensive care immediately after the surgery. For at least the first week, he will have a feeding tube and a breathing tube, and will have to completely relearn how to swallow as the swelling in his throat decreases.

After the initial post-surgery period, Devon will be undergoing radiation therapy, and will spend the next 6 months recovering and adjusting to his new reality. This will include regular speech therapy sessions so he can learn how to talk again, and regular doctor visits to follow up on his healing and to make sure that the cancer doesn’t reappear in any capacity. During the surgery, the surgeons will be taking some lymph nodes to check that the cancer hasn’t spread — if they find that it has, we can’t yet be sure what the future will entail except for the fact that the road to Devon’s recovery will be much longer and much more troubled.

As if the cancer diagnosis and treatment plan haven’t been a big enough bite to chew on, Devon is the main financial supporter of our life together through his personal training business that he’s built from the ground up over the past 4 years. While I contribute as much as I can, also being self employed as an independent artist, my financial contributions pale in comparison to what he does to support our little family. Devon's work as a self employed trainer with the most of his clientele doing sessions via Zoom means that full function of his tongue is critical for his ability to continue business as usual, as he spends the entirety of his sessions speaking to his clients so as to walk them through the details of the exercises and help them understand the why behind the exercise choices.

The uncomfortable impact of his diagnosis and treatment plan means that for the next 6-8 months, Devon will be unable to work, and thus, unable to bring in the income required to pay our bills and put food on the table. I will also be experiencing a diminished capacity to create works for my shop or work with custom order clients while I take on the role of Devons main caregiver and supporter throughout his recovery. It’s for this reason that we humbly ask for your support in the form of financial assistance.

The costs we are looking to cover include basic rent, water and electricity costs, food and household necessities, phone, internet, and other reocurring bills, gas to cover the numerous 40 minute one-way trips to the hospital which is 20 miles from where we live, and any additional bills and necessities that will need to be paid for over the next 6-8 month period.

Due to our financial circumstances, we are keeping our fingers crossed that our medicaid application goes through, as that would take a major weight off of our shoulders regarding concerns of crushing medical debt that we would undoubtedly deal with for the rest of our lives. The insurance options accepted by the hospital are limited, so our next option if our medicaid application doesn’t get accepted will be medicare, in which case we will have to revisit the financial goal of this fundraiser to account for the added healthcare costs.

Anyone who knows Devon will be quick to tell you how genuine and authentic he is as a person. They will also be quick to tell you that he’s never afraid to speak his mind, even if it causes momentary discomfort - because he knows that temporary discomfort is often a necessary stepping stone in finding long term happiness, and he’s bold enough to tell people what they need to hear even if they might not want to hear it quite yet. Although he’s the type of person to go well out of his way to help other people, his quiet acts of kindness go unseen by many; never the person to do something in pursuit of external validation, Devon won’t hesitate to help others just because it’s the right thing to do — even if it comes at an inconvenience for himself.

In his 10 years in the fitness industry, Devon has touched so many lives and inspired so many people to do better by themselves and their loved ones in terms of upholding their personal health. His personal devotion to staying active, eating healthy, and all around embodying what it means to live a mentally and physically healthy lifestyle has made him a role model to so many. Over the past 4 years in particular, I’ve watched him build his personal training business from square one, constantly in pursuit of the knowledge that will help him best serve the people who are in need of his help, even if it means being at odds with people who don’t see things the same way that he does.

Devon's positivity and perspective on the world is a rare mindset that you just can’t get enough of. Despite the devastating impact of his diagnosis and treatment plan, he’s managed to keep a collected and level-headed outlook on life and a smile on his face, constantly bringing laughter and light to our day-to-day life. It’s hard for me to not keep going on in a testament to his character; the fact is that Devon is a one of a kind soul and a gift to anyone who has the pleasure of knowing him. It would be far too easy for me to keep going on about all that he is and all that he does for others, but I know that would only skim the surface of the depths to his personality and impact on others.

We don’t know what caused this or how it came about — there are no outstanding lifestyle factors for us to point to, Devon is incredibly healthy and spirited — and although we hope for some kind of answer to come out some years down the line, the truth is that we may never know why it is this tumor started growing in his tongue. Devon is still so young; at only 34 he still has so much to give to this world. Any donation to help us through this challenging time will be appreciated beyond words, and no donation is too small. If you’re not in a position to donate, please share this campaign with people you know. Thank you so much to anyone who can help us get through this difficult and unexpected stage of our lives, words can’t come close to illustrating the depth of gratitude and appreciation we have for any support you can show.