Hi, my name is Sean and I am a cancer survivor. After several decades of intestinal issues, I was diagnosed with early stage colon cancer in 2016 at the age of 42. This is young for this type of cancer, but it likely formed due to my intestine undergoing so many years of intense inflammation, pain, and bleeding, since the age of 17. The cells just began to mutate. It was terrible news, as I always tried to live pretty healthy. I took very little alcohol (and zero now) and never any drugs or smoking. The doctor caught it early enough that it was treated with a major surgery. However that surgery did not hold up the past few years and I had to undergo more surgeries since. The complication with abdominal surgeries is that the muscles are weak after being cut to remove the colon, and the remaining small intestine can potentially break through (or herniate through) the weak abdominal wall and sit right near the surface, essentially outside of the body cavity, becoming twisted, kinked, partially blocked, and causing intense pain. That is where I find myself now. Unfortunately, the pain I have been dealing with is impossible to relieve and it began to affect my job performance. My employer said they sympathized but decided to let me go right before the holidays anyway, and right before I was going to get the repair surgery. I have a new job lined up already starting next year, at a place I have worked in the past and they are happily welcoming be back. But first I want to get a repair surgery so that I can be back at 100 percent and without anymore pain. Also the job is out of state and there is no way I can complete a move like that in my current condition. I need this surgery badly, as my pain has gotten increasingly worse and I worry that it will get to the point where the circulation to my small intestine will be cut off when a kinking occurs, and that could have deadly consequences. So, my dilemma is that I am unemployed for now, in urgent need of surgery, and running out of money to pay for the insurance premiums and hospital bills. I would like to ask those who see this to please consider helping me get through this rough patch.

A little about me: I am a father of two smart and beautiful daughters, and they are my world. We enjoy the outdoors, movies, art and music. I work as a licensed medical professional called a cytotechnologist, in which I look at patient samples on a microscope and determine if they have any abnormal or cancer cells. I take my job very seriously and I feel it is important and indirectly saves lives. I want to be able to continue doing this for many years to come, to find those cells before they get bad, so that patients will have a chance to get treatment early on. If you can help me with a gift of a donation, you will be helping more than just one person.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story, Merry Christmas, and God bless you,

Sean H.