On December 30th I was diagnosed with a stage four malignant melanoma (skin cancer) in my right lung following several rounds of xrays, CT scans and biopsies to determine the root cause of a persistent cough I'd developed several weeks earlier. Based on the diagnosis I recently started an immunotherapy treatment, in which I receive a combination of drugs (administered via IV) that are designed to train my immune system to attack the cancer. For now I'm scheduled to receive the treatments once a month as the doctors monitor how the tumor responds. My oncologist has been very positive about my outlook and I'm very thankful to be living in a time when many relatively new technological and pharmaceutical cancer treatment options are available.

While this situation was developing I was training to run the LA marathon and the doctors have encouraged me to still run if I feel able. I'm registered for the race on March 8th (my 15th consecutive LA marathon) and will be running to raise money for an organization called Impact Melanoma, a non-profit focused on melanoma awareness that offers resources and support for melanoma patients. I've started a GoFundMe with the goal of raising $2,000 that will be donated to Impact Melanoma. Any additional donations beyond that amount will go towards helping me cover the $18k of medical bills I've accrued since November (the amount I'm personally responsible for WITH "good" insurance).

I'd been very excited about 2026 from a personal, creative and professional perspective and while this health issue has momentarily turned my world upside down my friends and family have offered great support and the doctors and nurses at USC's Norris Cancer Center have kept me optimistic. Feel free to leave any homeopathic/hippie/experimental cures and recipes in the comments below as I prepare to attempt the marathon on March 8th. Like and subscribe to see if I survive!