I’m Brendan. I’m 42 years old. I’m married to Jocelyn, and we have three wonderful children – Hazel (7), Ivy (4.5), and Murphy (2.5).

My family and I are facing an enormous challenge.

In late July 2025, I was diagnosed with stage 4 invasive adenocarcinoma. What began as colorectal cancer has also spread to my liver and peritoneum.

On August 8 my colorectal surgeon performed a colostomy. After some recovery time, I will begin chemotherapy in late August or early September. Because I’m young and otherwise healthy, we believe we have a shot at shrinking the tumors and buying more time.

My wife Jocelyn is incredible. She returned home in early July after five months in treatment for alcoholism. She’s showing up for our family every day, balancing a brand-new part-time job, prioritizing recovery, and now supporting me. My family has endured tremendous hardship in recent years, and sadly there’s more to come. We are doing our best to remain hopeful.

But we’re going to need support. As medical bills accumulate and doctor appointments fill the calendar, we’ll need help paying for treatments, transportation, and additional childcare when we can’t be with our kids. Any donation you can afford will go toward these expenses.

If you’re unable to give, please consider sharing our story with your communities. We’re grateful for any and all support.

More About Brendan

I’m a writer. I’m a volunteer planning commissioner. I enjoy cooking, baseball, acoustic guitar, and seeing live music. I love running, biking, and reading books with my kids. I love being a dad. More time with my family is my only wish.