Keep My Partner Alive

So, for those of you that don't know, my name is Gypsy. I am one half of "Karnevil Karnival Sideshow".
The other half is my partner and best friend JR Whitcomb....Arson or Doctor JR to many of you.

For the last year or so he has been fighting his ass of against this ever growing threat...a tumor, now roughly the size of a baseball, in his throat.
Thanks to the ACA he has gotten insurance coverage and seen a doctor.
Multiple biopsies and scans later and they still aren't sure what it is, just that it's growing fast and needs to come out.  It is currently wrapped around his jugular, pressing against his airway, and has all but absorbed his thyroid on the right side.
Surgery is scheduled for November first when they will remove the mass and his thyroid. Hopefully once they get it out and look at it they will find it is harmless.....more likely he will have to go back under the knife a week later to have all other affected tissue (all thyroid etc) removed and begin radiation. Everyone's pretty sure it's cancer.
Here's the (other) crap news....we just received a bill from the doc for the first consult for $600 that was DENIED by his healthcare. DENIED.....
We are pretty scared about this. HOWEVER his surgery WILL happen. PERIOD.
I never thought I would live to see the day someone I care for would have to ask for help simply to stay alive.
But my healthcare rant doesn't belong here.
ANYWAY....the money raised here will be for his medical costs: surgery, medication, hospital stay, radiation therapy (fingers crossed he doesn't need it) and the like. He will likely be out of work for a month, and off stage for at least that long. His voice may change. He will possibly be on thyroid meds. Life is going to change....but right now.....
I just want him to live ok?
I'm not sure this is enough, and I have no idea when it's all going to come due....but I have to try.

JR is a big part of my life, as well as many others. He is my partner in Karnevil, hell, he STARTED me on this path!!!! And as many of you know we are "the hardest luck sideshow" in the biz.
We've really had a rough time of it between vehicles dying, blizzards trapping us, wind storms killing our equipment, injuries and now this????
Affording to live week to week is hard enough.
Now he's got all THIS looming.

I don't know that I can properly express how grateful I would be if we all pulled this off....but to say that it would be one wonderful bright spot in a rather bleak, "pit of despair" kind of last few years, would be a huge understatement.
I would owe you all a big chunk of my life.

If luck is on our side and he doesn't require another surgery or radiation, any remaining funds will be divided up and donated to cancer research and local no-kill animal shelters.

(ps.....he doesn't know I'm doing this yet, and I'd like to keep it that way for a little while.)