Sammy Scott and Family Fight Cancer

Hi, my name is Nick Roberts, and I am raising money to help fellow author and family man, Sammy Scott, as he, his wife, and his teenage son navigate his sudden cancer diagnosis.

In the short time since he initially went to the hospital, Sammy has racked up well over $10,000 in medical bills, and they're only continuing to mount. But I'll let Sammy tell you in his own words what's going on and then explain why I am organizing this fundraiser. Here is what Sammy posted on social media:

"Time for some real talk, everyone.

"Without going into a lot of minute details, I have not been feeling well for several weeks. Ten days ago, I was experiencing enough abdominal pain and yellowing of the skin that I went to the hospital, where they admitted me for five days as they ran scans and tests and managed my pain.

"I have been diagnosed with Cholangiocarcinoma — cancer of the bile ducts of the liver. I will learn more about what stage I am in and what treatment options are available to me later this week. But it is likely quite serious.

"My wife and I are self-employed. We do have health insurance, but we carry a very high deductible and have already experienced a loss of income from when I was in the hospital. We can only assume this financial hardship will continue in some form as I seek treatment and will likely become too ill to work.

"Here is where you can help, and I apologize in advance for appealing to everyone's sense of graciousness and support. ... Thank you all in advance for your thoughts, prayers, and generosity."

As you can see, Sammy is a private, humble guy, and until now, he's kept the knowledge of his recent illness limited to his family and close friends. I consider myself lucky to be a part of that crew.

Last year, Sammy sent me his debut short story collection, At Home With the Horrors, to read and review. It was so good that I not only raved about it online, but I made my author friends buy it. Along with other authors, John Durgin, Felix Blackwell, and Gage Greenwood, we formed a group chat and have talked every day since, supporting and encouraging each other in our writing endeavors. We came together as fans, but we've quickly become friends.

As the year went on, genre fans recognized Sammy's talent, and his book has only snowballed in popularity. Fans demanded more, and he delivered. His debut novel, BETA, will be released on September 1, and those of us who've read advanced copies have praised it as the best novel of the year.

There are several ways you can support Sammy and his family during this difficult time as we hope for the best but prepare for the worst, as hard as that may be. You can donate directly to this fundraiser. You can also purchase Sammy's books directly from him or Amazon.

To pre-order a signed and numbered limited edition of his new novel, BETA, click here.

You can also order his books from his Amazon author page here.

We hope you can find it in your heart to help this young man and his family alleviate financial difficulties as they face the tough battle ahead. Thank you and God bless.