Living Expenses for Robert Valadez

I HAVE PROSTATE CANCER.

I am hoping to raise some funds to help with my living expenses during radiation treatment.

I was not expecting this. I suppose no one does. It took me a while to process this news. My initial reaction was one of fear and dread, as you might imagine. When a person is younger and in good health, you don’t think much about what might go wrong with your body. Well now I have been met with a very stark reality, something has gone wrong, and now I must face it head on.

The good news is that while the initial biopsy showed some cancer in the prostate itself, and that it is somewhat aggressive, additional scans have shown that it has not spread to other areas of the body. This means that it is manageable. I will be going to the doctor this week to discuss my treatment options.

Prostate cancer is not uncommon in men of my age. One in 8 men will experience some level of the disease in their lifetime. For most men it is low level and occurs much later in life and does not require any intervention, but for some, like me, it can flare up early.

I know that I have a tough path ahead of me. How the coming months will be for me I am not sure. I have joined a number of online support groups, so that I might compare my situation with other people who are going through a similar ordeal. I have had some interesting conversations with other cancer patients, and I am learning a lot. It has been somewhat comforting to know that I am not alone in this journey.

I will be recieving radiation therapy in order to eradicate the cancer. This will require that I go to the clinic on a daily basis so that I can receive this treatment. I can handle that. I have been told that many people have gotten this daily procedure done and that they go straight back to work right afterwards. I intend on doing exactly that.

I am going to continue to work. I’m a self-employed kind of guy, and I have to seek out work wherever I can get it. I’m an artist and a mural painter, and I’m ready to paint. I also have a team of trusted collaborators with whom I work with, so I will have help. I’d rather that people send me work, and that they buy my art. So look me up. I’m not hard to find.

I’m not done yet. I’m not done.

Robert