Help Jason Kick Cancer's Butt

So... this is a hard thing to ask for, especially during this economy, but here we are.

On Aug 23 I went in to the doctor's office to have a mole removed. If you saw me at Libertycon, you probably heard me complaining about the bloody mole that ruined two of my shirts (and led to the startling discovery that the hotel for LC is wayyyyy too adept at removing blood from their bed sheets, but I digress). Anyway, the doctor cut it out, and then spotted another one he wanted to remove as well. No big deal, a little scrape, a lot of blood from the big mole during removal, and they said they wanted to biopsy both to see if there was anything suspicious. They told me 7-10 business days for a response, which meant I would find out more after Dragoncon. Cool.

Well, turns out I was wrong. The next Tuesday, not even two full business days later, I received a call from the doctor. Apparently they put a rush on the results because he didn't like what he'd seen. I have cancer, an aggressive melanoma in both spots. The one on my upper back was tiny, contained, less than 1mm, and they were certain they got it all, and should be easily treated.

The lower one, though...

The lower one is a major concern because it was deep. 3.8mm deep and, as previously mentioned, vascular (the bloody part), which means there is a good likelihood that it's already in my lymph nodes. With that wonderful news, I was off to Dragoncon for work-related activities (plus, staying busy the entire time helped take my mind off of things).

Last Wednesday (Sept 11) I went in for my surgery consult. The doctor is good, and we have a plan. Removal of three lymph nodes (closest to the vascular site), excise the two melanoma spots, and biopsy everything they take out. Again, fortune smiled at me, because they had one last surgery spot available on Oct 1 at Duke. Recovery time is 8-10 weeks, but I should be up and on my feet in a week or two.

Today (Wed, Sept 18) I went in for a full body PET scan to see if the cancer has metastasized yet and spread. I won't have the results back for a couple of days, but I got a look at the bill for the MRI I have scheduled for this Sunday and... yeah, it's insane, even with insurance.

We have a plan for treatment, though. If the melanoma has spread to the lymph nodes and they find microscopic cancer cells in there, then it's immunotherapy, chemo, and radiation for treatment. That means more missed work and, while my boss is awesome and Baen Books is hugely supportive, this is going to add up quickly.

Many people have asked how they can help and even encouraged me to start a GoFundMe, so, if you feel led to help in any way, I would greatly appreciate it. Prayers are also greatly appreciated - prayers for an uneventful surgery and minimal pain during recovery and the endurance to make it through all this. It's amazing how much mental exhaustion comes along with the physical when you get this kind of news. Thank you again for your support in any form,

-Jason