It all started at Taco Bell.

On Cinco de Mayo, our team went out for a much-deserved night out on the town. We rounded it out at Taco Bell (had to celebrate the occasion). Several days later Joe was constipated. After a visit to the doctor and a strong laxative, all was well.

Until a couple weeks ago. After severe stomach pain, a GI visit, and a CT scan, Joe was advised to cut half his ass out. That's feet of ass (a meter if you're European).

Joe is home recovering from a left hemicolectomy (surgery). He has been diagnosed with Stage 3C colon cancer. In a few weeks he will start a very intense chemotherapy regimen that will last the next ≈6-8 months. During that time he will be perfecting his Italian accent, which sounds like his Asian accent, which sounds like his Jewish accent, which sounds like an accent nobody actually has. Can you throw up in an accent? Maybe he'll find out.

If you've met Joe, you know there is no one more deserving to receive help in such an unfair, terrible time. If he's told you to "have the best day ever" - you owe him. If his unbridled optimism has brightened your day (or in my case, bummed you out) - you owe him. If he's told you an insane fun fact and followed it up with, "pretty cool right?" - you owe him. So please help him out so we don't have to see him be GLP-1 skinny. And so we can get him out of the apartment and back on the NYC streets with his dog gang - who surely don't understand his daily conversations with himself, but definitely enjoy the ride.

Joe won't be able to work anywhere near full capacity while he's undergoing treatment. All money donated will go towards hospital bills (out of pocket deductibles, medications, etc), transportation to and from treatment (ie parking tickets), NYC rent, definitely not lottery tickets, and for sure all other living expenses.

Thank you in advance! We all love Joe. He has made all of our lives better. Our only goal is to get him back to living a healthy, optimistic life. And there is something we can all learn from this: life is incredibly precious, if you get constipated from Taco Bell - go get a colonoscopy.

Disclaimer: In all seriousness, early onset colon cancer is on the rise. Medical guidelines continue to lower the age of standard screenings due to this terrible phenomenon. While colonoscopies were once recommended at 50 they are now recommended at age 45, but even as early as 40. This diagnosis is rising at an alarming rate, especially amongst millennials and even younger demographics. While lifestyle, such as diet and inactivity can factor into the diagnosis, this becomes less relevant in younger patients. The mass removed from Joe’s colon was potentially growing for the past 10-15 years. Early symptoms were dismissed because of his age, but we are grateful he listened to his body and continued to advocate for further investigation.