Help Michael Nagle Fight Cancer

What words could possibly capture our friend, Michael Nagle?

Impish psychedelic cat? Genius? To say his heart is as big as his smile is true but too saccharine for someone who is just as likely to ruthlessly slice your identity in half with a casual comment and a grin. Avoiding the truth is not easy around him. Perhaps that is why he has dexterity in such a broad range of human experience. He holds myriads-- just as playful when discussing programming and math concepts as he is exploring the depths of human consciousness, all while making irreverent jokes with the undercurrent of deep authenticity.

And now, cancer. A word which also holds myriads.

Michael was unexpectedly diagnosed last month with stage 4 colon cancer. It does not look good. As many of you know, his father died of COVID during the pandemic, and he has dedicated a lot of time as a caregiver to his family members.

This cancer diagnosis is a very heavy one. His oncologist has stated multiple times that under the current standard of care, this cancer is not curable. Statistics say 80% of folks die with this diagnosis in 2 years. A “good” course of treatment is 4-5 months of chemo – already begun – making it then safe enough to get colon surgery, to then be followed by a second chemo protocol which will go on indefinitely, be that months or years.

Michael has chosen to undergo this path because he feels strongly his time on the planet isn’t done yet. He feels strongly that he has more to say, do, feel, and contribute here before he accepts his young, early, forty-years-before-he-expected death.

So as you can imagine, his life has been upended. He immediately began chemo, and the process has been debilitating. The road ahead may be long and complex for him, requiring caregivers, surgeries, and long term chemo, all while needing to pay rent and being unable to work.

To put it bluntly: Life with cancer is expensive. During chemotherapy, Michael is essentially bedridden and cannot take care of himself. The treatment is ongoing, incompatible with “normal life” and has no end in sight. Michael is self-employed and cannot earn an income. He needs our help.

What to do? The greatest need right now is money.

The reality is that his treatments and expenses are very costly-- and while we can only do so much to reduce his bodily suffering, we can do A LOT to support him financially and at least put to rest the painful tradeoffs money can create.

Your support will have an immediate impact. It will help him cover the cost of chemo, tests, doctor’s appointments and other therapies. It will help him pay for basic needs: rent, insurance, transportation, groceries. It will allow Michael to hire a caregiver to support him during chemotherapy. It will provide a buffer for the countless unknown expenses and complications that we can’t predict right now. And with sufficient luck, it will help us strengthen the community of friends supporting Michael and improve his quality of life (more below).

Michael is an incredible human being who has spent his whole life building communities and connections and supporting his friends. If you are reading this page, chances are very good that you, or someone you love, knows him and loves him. It’s almost impossible to know Michael without loving him, without having him touch your life in deep and profound ways. He has helped so many of us in so many ways and now it’s our turn to support him.

If you would like to set up a recurring donation to give monthly you can do that through PayPal. The link for recurring donations can be found here.

Looking Forward

When we talk about cancer we talk about fighting and surviving and living and dying. But life is more than survival. One of our goals in fundraising is to set up a situation where Michael can thrive and live in a community of peers and do the work he is called to do in the time he has left -- writing, sharing, and bringing people together.

If we can raise enough funds we can set up a community house where Michael (and a cat!) can live with caregivers and loved ones, where friends can visit to support him, and where he can do his work -- building powerful community institutions, bringing people together, and changing the ways we think about life and health and care and society.

A more ambitious vision of this idea that we’ve been kicking around is starting a non-profit that would seed community houses like this one. Residential communities like this could work towards integrating the worlds of well and sick people; giving sick loved ones more support and easing the burden on supporters while helping our broader culture become less confused about sickness and death.

If this project inspires you and you want to contribute ideas, tax-deductible funding, or referrals to people who might be interested and capable of leading the launch of such an organization with us please get in touch! For contact information see the last section of the FAQ here .

Reaching Out and Learning More

I am so unbelievably sorry that you have to read this. I am so unbelievably sorry and sad and angry that I have to write it. I want to give you a hug and cry with you and hold you close and cherish any connections we have to him and to each other.

For many of you, reading this page will be the first time you learn about Michael’s cancer. If you are taken aback to find out via a GoFundMe campaign, please know that he has intentionally remained highly private about his diagnosis until now.

A small group of friends and family found out, and have been organizing together to help care for him and provide for his day-to-day needs and we have set up this GoFundMe to help raise funds for his support.

We will be posting ongoing updates about Michael’s health and treatment to this page as developments warrant. To learn more details about his diagnosis and how he is doing you can read more in this document.

Unfortunately, at this stage the answer to almost all of your questions is “we don’t know.”

Communication, like everything else, is hard for him at the moment and we want to limit the amount of time he is spending answering questions and keeping friends updated so that the visits and phone calls that he has time for can focus on connection and joy and togetherness.

Words of Support

If you want to reach out and express love and support, the best thing to do is make a donation here and post here on the GoFundMe.

When you make a donation you will have the opportunity to attach "words of support". Any amount, no matter how small, is appreciated. We're all in this together.

Michael will be reading responses here as his energy allows, though is unlikely to have the energy to respond often.

Instructions for how to reach out for other kinds of support and help can be found here.

Thank you so much for your love and care for Michael.

Love and Gratitude