Hello, my name is Joseph Peña, but my friends call me JoJo. At the time of writing this, I am 23 years old. My story isn't a complicated one, and more than likely you are coming here from one of my social medias, so you're familiar already. September of 2023, I began developing a swollen lymph node in my neck area. At first I thought it had come from just a cold or an infection, but it never really stopped growing. I'll save you the grittier details, but essentially I have had a developing neoplasm in my parotid gland right above the lymph node and the swell is actually secondary after a possible metastasis. While no official cancer diagnosis yet, the behavior is similar and the symptoms continue to worsen.

This January, I will be having what's known as a "parotidectomy" to remove the gland for further testing, as well as a complex neck dissection to remove any other affected lymph nodes. I do have insurance through BCBS, but I am required to pay at least half of the surgery before I will even be seen. The last total I was given was a little less than $2,000, so I'm hoping for at least a grand to cover that partial.

After my surgery, I will be on recovery for 2 weeks. This is happening around the time for the due dates of my rent, car payment, and car insurance as well, so any additional funds past the partial payment will go towards those things as well.

I've waited a very long time for this, honestly much longer than I should have. I don't quite feel like it's coming to an end, but I think this is a pretty big step. Thank you for any and all assistance.