My partner Becca and I had saved and planned and finally embarked on a dream backpacking trip through South America.

Everything was going as planned until, just after my 35th birthday, I suddenly collapsed outside a bus station in Ica, Peru. For nearly a minute my heart wasn’t beating and I wasn’t breathing. I was rushed by ambulance to a small local hospital. The doctors there recommended I seek further care from specialists in Lima as soon as possible.

When we arrived in Lima, the doctors discovered a mass in my brain that was causing swelling, which they determined lead to a seizure. I was admitted to the hospital, and further tests showed that I was in immediate danger, so a few days later I underwent brain surgery to remove the mass.

Soon after we received the devastating news: the mass was cancerous.

I don’t have health insurance in the United States, and while we invested in travel health insurance, the company has denied me coverage. So far we’ve already put a large sum on my credit card for the surgery, imaging, and a 10-day hospital stay here in Lima, and we still owe quite a lot more.

Additionally, the doctors have recommended that I begin aggressive follow-up treatments—radiation and chemotherapy—immediately. Given the time-sensitive nature of this treatment, we plan to continue my care here in Lima. We will also be exploring options in other countries for advanced follow up therapies, like proton radiation and immunotherapies.

Why I’m Asking for Help

The purpose of this fundraising campaign is to:

How You Can Help

This diagnosis has turned our lives upside down, but I’m determined to fight. Any contribution, big or small, will help me access life-saving treatment and give me more time with the people I love. Even if you cannot give financially, sharing this campaign with your community would mean the world to us.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading my story, for caring, and for helping me through this fight.