Welcome to my journey - a journey I once thought would last six months but now know will last the rest of my life.

On April 28th, 2025, I went to the emergency room with a distended abdomen - a fancy way of saying I looked pregnant. Having just had a respiratory infection with a lot of violent coughing, I attributed the swelling to inflammation and nothing more. Cue the surprise when the emergency room resident wheeled her stool into my room and said, "We found some cancer in your colon."

Thus began a wave of hospitalizations and treatments: eight rounds of chemotherapy followed by surgery to remove my spleen and appendix as well as the cancer in my colon and stomach. Unfortunately, the cancer has moved to parts of my body that render removal impossible, meaning I'll have this cancer inside me for the rest of my life.

I've updated this GoFundMe because my life now is a blitz of weekly drives to the START Clinic in Michigan, new and experimental treatments, and an overall uncertainty regarding the future and how it will all play out.

As I said when I was first diagnosed, I will fight this unless I no longer can, but to do so will require a lot of time, patience, and, yes, money. If you are reading this and able to donate, or to even share this post with friends, family, and networks, I would greatly appreciate it.

The road is long, but with your assistance, I am determined to live a long, healthy life. Please get yourself checked - colonoscopies aren't currently recommended until 45, but you don't want to wait until it's too late.