What's good to all of you potential donors and donettes. I hope you all are healthy and well and I invite you to peruse this page to see if this cause strikes a chord.

My name is Brian, but this story isn't about me. This story is about my good friend, Brandon, who was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 32.

Brandon is fighting for his life. He's currently getting chemo with the hopes that his tumor will shrink enough to eventually be surgically resected. Chemo infusions used to last a couple of hours. Unfortunately, he had a drug reaction, and now treatment is a ten-hour day. That's a long time to be laid up in a chair, and the homie doesn't even have a tablet to get through it.

Part one of my mission is to get Brandon an entertainment setup to help him when he's stuck getting chemo.

I want to get him an iPad so he can watch movies, and a SteamDeck so he can play games.

That's part one.

Part two is entertainment at home. The context: he's sick. His energy is down. He pees out of tubes sticking out of his back and he shits into a bag on his stomach. That's a struggle, and it makes getting out of the house a trick and a half, all the more because he's narced up on pain meds. My boy can't drive anymore. He spends a lot of hours at home.

Solution: I want to hook him up with the PlayStation 5 (perhaps even the PS5 Pro) so he can game and talk shit from his couch. And you can't be gaming the latest system on a TV from 2003. Ideally, we can raise enough money to get him a flat screen. A fifty-five would be nice, but even a forty-three would cut it.

Math has never been my strong point, and prices are changing on the daily. By my estimates, though, I bet we could achieve all of this with around four or five thousand dollars.

Now, some of you all are some haters, and probably thinking thoughts like, "What are we doing paying money for his entertainment? If he needs money for anything, shouldn't it be for hospital bills and living expenses?"

To you, I say, "Probably."

But also, this idea started with me thinking, what can I do as an individual to hopefully help my guy have an easier time. I can't pay his bills (he wouldn't want that, and I can't afford it); and I can't kick it with him all day (he'd get sick of me after two hours). The game station idea dawned on me as something I might be able to achieve on my own. It'd be a kind gesture that wouldn't cross any boundaries of pride and friendship. That's where this started, and I was hopeful until I looked at my bank account.

Initially I was averse to using this site. The Japanese in me regarded this approach as some low-life, shameful begging. And Brandon, he's a proud-ass Mexican, and stubborn, too. He'd drive home on four flats with the engine smoking before burdening a stranger for a ride. So relying on others for financial help? Six months ago, not on your life.

Things change, though. Especially when you get sick. You want to help out the homie, figure something out even if it doesn't feel right at first. When I floated the idea to B, it took a minute for him to agree, too. He said, "It was handouts. Begging. Get outta here with such a stupid idea." But then this cute nurse came in, and she said she thought it sounded kind of nice, and suddenly it didn't seem so bad.

So now here we are. Asking strangers for help.

If more money comes than we ask, I suppose we can put it to responsible use and ease the burden of these medical bills. But first and foremost, the mission is hooking it up for some screen time.

That's about what I've got for you.

If you're hesitating to donate because you don't know Brandon's character, I can update this page with details. He's a really good guy, though. Worked as an ER tech until he was too sick to show up. Comes through for his friends. Honest. Thoughtful. Doesn't steal. No criminal record. A motivated individual. I'm telling you, this dude used to be King Torta weighing 360 pounds, but he worked his ass off in the gym to drop weight. His goal was to invest in his health. Just before he got sick, he was hitting the gym on the daily and was probably like 280 and most of it muscle. Cancer hit hard, though. I'm sure he weighs less now.

Anyway... much love to all of you, even the cheap ones. I play a lot, but deep down, even if it's just checking the page and taking a moment to reflect, I appreciate you, and I know B does, too.