Back in March my wife, Cassia, and I were getting ready for the next chapter in our lives. We were two weeks away from moving to Virginia to be closer to my family. We were already packing boxes and selling furniture. I was wrapping up my responsibilities and obligations. This included quitting my job at the Denver Art Museum, playing last gigs with the bands and ensembles I’ve been a part of, and saying goodbye to dear friends and to my beloved Denver music community.

Then, on March 20th, I went into urgent care because I had been experiencing extremely painful headaches. Upon receiving a CT scan, it was discovered that I have a meningioma (a brain tumor in the meninges) that was blocking the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid. I was then rushed to Saint Joseph hospital where I received emergency surgery to install a shunt to forcibly circulate the CSF. Had I not undergone this operation when I did, it’s possible I would not be typing this today.

After meeting with a brain surgeon at University of Colorado Anschutz, I scheduled a surgery to get the tumor (or as much of it as possible) removed on May 16. Thankfully, the surgery was a success. I am so grateful for the treatment and care I have received, and for the encouragement, thoughts and prayers so many of you have given me.

But now Cassia and I face new challenges and we are asking for your help. We had to extend our lease, as I will need to remain in Denver for a lengthy recovery that will involve medical supervision and potential follow-up treatments. Not only are we dealing with the financial strain of unexpected medical bills and living expenses, but our income is substantially reduced as I have been unable to work. To make matters worse, I do not qualify for disability payments because I had already quit my job prior to the discovery of the tumor.

As such, I am asking if anyone would be gracious enough to assist us with medical bills and loss of income.

Thank you so much for reading and considering, and have a great day.