Hello, my name is Joseph. I'm a father and husband, and in our house, we believe that God has a plan for everyone, and we have to trust His plan even in the darkest times.

I've been unable to work since the beginning of August because I've been diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. I have lesions in the bones of my hip, spine, and neck that require surgery and a fusion. I have to beat the cancer first to get the surgeries, which I feel good about spiritually and physically. I still take my son to the gym 3x a week; it just really takes it out of me, and I wish I was able to stay in there longer with him and show him more.

A little over 2 years ago, I made the choice to get sober after 10 years of alcohol and drug abuse. I found God and the gym and was able to stay sober, keep my family, and build us up better and happier than we have ever been. Everything was going well, and then I kept having chronic back pain for about 8 months. Finally, I went to the hospital, and they ran some tests and said I had rhabdomyolysis, and I was admitted for that. After about a week in the hospital, I overcame the rhabdo and was released.

Almost 4 days after my release, I was in so much pain I could barely move. I made it to the hospital, and walking to the ER desk, my body started locking up in pain, and I almost didn't make it to the desk. When we got in the building, I was rushed to the back for triage and vitals. After days of spinal and bone biopsies, blood work, MRIs, CT scans, and everything else in the kitchen, the doctor told me about the lesions causing all the pain in my spine, neck, and hip. He also told me that I have stage 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and that we're going to run 6 chemo treatments 3 weeks apart. Depending on my next PET scan, we might discuss radiotherapy.

I have an appointment on the 17th of September for disability and assistance, but everything is piling up, and we know we're not going to make it on what my wife makes alone. So we're asking, please, whether it be $1 or $100, it will be greatly appreciated and used for rent and food. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and God bless.