Topher's Cancer Fund
Donation protected
In the summer after I graduated college, I was looking forward to a lot of things: I'd worked tirelessly throughout my education to qualify myself for a job in publishing, and I had a position lined up for the week after my graduation ceremony. I was looking forward to independence, self sufficiency, and in pursuing my number one goal—to write stories for children. All the pieces seemed to be falling into place, but after only three months at my new job, I was diagnosed with cancer.
It started with a lump in my neck, which had been growing in size and weight for some time before a doctor (the third one I'd consulted) finally decided to take a closer look. And it's lucky he did—we discovered that I had Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer that targets the lymphatic system and weakens the immune system. The news was terrifying, especially when I considered where I was in my life. Everything that I had worked for was suddenly derailed by something that I could never have predicted, could never have planned around, and was certainly unprepared to face.
The treatments were exhausting, intensive, and painful. I had to leave my job and focus full time on recovery. My family and friends helped me through this period, where I doubted everything I wanted and no longer found joy in the things that had for so long kept me motivated. Ultimately the treatments would be successful, and the cancer went into remission. Everyone thought the worst was over, and for them, it was.
For me, the worst part came after. There is no feeling quite like the one when you come out of such a dark trial only to face a mountain of insurmountable debts, all due to a lack of personal finances and the cruel, crippling health care systems patients like me face every day. No longer would work be something I could do to find happiness in a career—it was something I had to do urgently, and every penny I made would already be spent.
In the short months since this experience, I have been unable to get back on my feet the way I need to and deserve to. I could not find another job in publishing, leaving me to work for small wages that barely cover the cost of living, with no extra money for me to tackle the bills that I owe my doctors.
I'm starting this fundraiser with one hope: that I might free myself from the debilitating, suffocating aftermath that cancer leaves behind. The physical fight was only part of this journey, and now I have to face the emotional and financial burdens that come with it—the ones that family and friends so often do not see.
Should you have the means to do so, I would appreciate any contribution you can make. Small or large, every donation will bring me closer to putting an end to this chapter. I am asking only for enough to pay what I immediately owe, and no more. To come out of this journey with security and stability would allow me to focus on the goals and dreams that I have pushed toward for so long, and whether you know me personally or not, I'm sure you can imagine how freeing such a thing would be. Thanks for reading my story, and for sharing it, and thank you for whatever help you can offer.
It started with a lump in my neck, which had been growing in size and weight for some time before a doctor (the third one I'd consulted) finally decided to take a closer look. And it's lucky he did—we discovered that I had Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer that targets the lymphatic system and weakens the immune system. The news was terrifying, especially when I considered where I was in my life. Everything that I had worked for was suddenly derailed by something that I could never have predicted, could never have planned around, and was certainly unprepared to face.
The treatments were exhausting, intensive, and painful. I had to leave my job and focus full time on recovery. My family and friends helped me through this period, where I doubted everything I wanted and no longer found joy in the things that had for so long kept me motivated. Ultimately the treatments would be successful, and the cancer went into remission. Everyone thought the worst was over, and for them, it was.
For me, the worst part came after. There is no feeling quite like the one when you come out of such a dark trial only to face a mountain of insurmountable debts, all due to a lack of personal finances and the cruel, crippling health care systems patients like me face every day. No longer would work be something I could do to find happiness in a career—it was something I had to do urgently, and every penny I made would already be spent.
In the short months since this experience, I have been unable to get back on my feet the way I need to and deserve to. I could not find another job in publishing, leaving me to work for small wages that barely cover the cost of living, with no extra money for me to tackle the bills that I owe my doctors.
I'm starting this fundraiser with one hope: that I might free myself from the debilitating, suffocating aftermath that cancer leaves behind. The physical fight was only part of this journey, and now I have to face the emotional and financial burdens that come with it—the ones that family and friends so often do not see.
Should you have the means to do so, I would appreciate any contribution you can make. Small or large, every donation will bring me closer to putting an end to this chapter. I am asking only for enough to pay what I immediately owe, and no more. To come out of this journey with security and stability would allow me to focus on the goals and dreams that I have pushed toward for so long, and whether you know me personally or not, I'm sure you can imagine how freeing such a thing would be. Thanks for reading my story, and for sharing it, and thank you for whatever help you can offer.
Organizer
Topher Daniel
Organizer
Metairie, LA
