I have cancer

Some news from me

Photo Credit: JMark Photography

I have cancer. Specifically, I have breast cancer. I learned the news last week, and even though I went through multiple rounds of tests, the diagnosis came as a shock.

Get your screenings, folks. I was overdue for a colonoscopy, but since I have no family history of breast or ovarian cancer, I could have waited a few more years to schedule a mammogram. I went ahead and did it because I wanted to get both out of the way, and if I’m being honest, because there was a breast cancer plot on Beyond the Gates that emphasized the importance of screenings. Still, I was a lot more worried about something showing up on the colonoscopy.

Here’s the good news. I have what my nurse navigator described as “fairly boring cancer.” And it seems like we caught it early. The tumors are grade one, and everyone I’ve talked to on my care team and those who’ve been through this tell me that what we know so far is good. But at this point there’s a lot more we don’t know, and the rest of my month is going to be spent in appointments and tests to help my care team determine a treatment.

I’m fortunate in that I have health insurance and a rock-solid network of support. Starting with Micheál and my kids but extending out to an amazing village of family and friends here in Seattle and across the country. When I’m undergoing treatment, I won’t be alone, and I’ll have all the support I need. Something I’m extremely grateful for. The support people have shown me already is incredible, and I love knowing that a village has my back.

But the reality is things aren’t great right now. Without going into details, my family has been through a lot over the past few years with some serious financial and emotional setbacks. Realistically, I don’t know how much I’m going to be able to work as I undergo treatment. And that’s before even thinking about how much insurance will or won’t pay for my treatment.

Writing this newsletter is the work that most fills my cup, and it brings in some income, but it doesn’t pay most of the bills. And since losing my publisher, it provides even less income than it has in the past. Ideally I’d like to bring in more from writing, which is more flexible than consulting, and I think flexibility is going to become supremely important for me and my family in the coming months.

So I’m asking you to consider supporting the newsletter financially. Normally I’d be talking up my plans: migrating off of Substack, adding more video content, and producing two newsletters a week from Labor Day through Election Day. I think my work has value and I much prefer asking people to support that value. But the truth is right now I could really use the help. If you’re in a position to donate, now is a good time to do it.

If you’ve saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:

Thank you for all your support over the years. I’m an open book, and if you’ve been reading me for a while, you already know a lot about my medical history. That won’t change. I’ll keep you updated on my progress.

In the meantime, we’ll continue to fight the MAGA Right together, week after week. Because I refuse to let these assholes win. Solidarity.