Help our friend complete his 28 sessions without financial stress.

Hard news: our friend John has been diagnosed with unfavorable intermediate-risk prostate cancer and will soon begin five weeks of daily radiation treatments. Even with insurance, the costs are overwhelming.

John has spent decades sharing music, humor, and generosity with others — and now he could use a hand. We’re raising funds to help cover treatment, transportation, and other expenses while he focuses on healing.

John’s Story

Most who know John associate him immediately with music. He’s a collector and a deep well of knowledge across folk, pop, prog, indie, classical, new-age, space rock — you name it. Since the mid-70s he’s shared that passion working in Monterey record shops and bookstores and hosting a weekly listener-supported radio show. He’s always curious about other people’s tastes and loves connecting them with sounds they’ll enjoy. Many of us have received his eclectic mix CDs over the years.

Outside of music, John is committed to sharing his joy in living with everyone he meets, friends and strangers alike, through the humorous badges he wears, the witty turns of phrase, and the simple sense of “we’re both alive right now; how amazing is that?” He always arrives with extra food and drink at any gathering and is generous in sharing those too.

Medical Plan & Costs

John begins daily radiation therapy in January. It is a five-week course, five days a week. The goal is straightforward: finish treatment without interruption.

Prostate cancer is often curable when it’s treated early, but the kind John has is more aggressive than the “slow, harmless” type people often imagine. His diagnosis — unfavorable intermediate-risk — means the cancer is still likely confined to the prostate and can be successfully treated now, but has features that make it more likely to grow or spread if left alone. The good news is that timely radiation has an excellent track record of controlling this kind of cancer and prolonging life significantly. Treatment works best when it starts promptly and continues without interruption.

John has Medicare, and it will cover most of the expense. However, the plan has a yearly out-of-pocket maximum of $6,000, which he will reach quickly once radiation begins.

How Funds Will Be Used

The diagnosis comes at a difficult time. John recently lost access to a previous source of income, and now his monthly expenses far exceed what Social Security can cover. The result is a significant financial shortfall during a period when he needs stability and focus to complete treatment.

Reliable transportation is essential. Radiation only works if you complete the whole schedule, and missing days reduces effectiveness. John lives in Carmel Valley, where public transit is infrequent. His mechanic believes he needs a new starter — a $600 repair — to make daily trips possible. Other car issues (headlights, head gasket) are less urgent, but the starter is a point of failure that could prevent him from getting to treatment.

Our goal here is not to solve all of John’s challenges or provide long-term financial support. Our goal is to get him through treatment with the greatest chance of success. The $16,000 we are requesting will help cover:

• Medicare out-of-pocket costs for treatment

• reliable transportation to daily appointments

• living expenses during therapy, when he cannot make up the shortfall himself

This is short-term support during a medical crisis, and it will make a real difference. The treatment has an excellent chance of helping John, so we want to make sure he gets it.

Treatment is scheduled to begin at the start of January, and the expenses have already begun. The urgency here is simply to help John focus on treatment and set him up for success over his five weeks of radiation, without the added stress of medical and living expenses. Any help right now makes a real difference.

Let’s Make This Happen For John

John would never ask for help himself, so we are asking for him.
A donation of any amount — $10, $25, $100 — will go directly toward treatment and keeping life stable while he recovers. Even a small gift helps cover a day of transportation or the cost of a medical copay.

Whether you can or can’t donate, please consider sharing this page with friends and on social media. Your support means everything.