Support Brain Surgery Recovery for Ghostwriter and Server

I'm raising funds to bridge the financial gap from my upcoming brain surgery.

On November 11, we discovered a tumor in my brain. As you can see, it's enormous: 6.1 x 4.3 x 5.3 cm. The neurologists I've spoken to believe it's not cancerous, and that I'll be okay. Surgery has been scheduled for December 11.

It's miraculous that I have been (and continue to be) fully functional and asymptomatic until now, except for an episode in October that we suspect was a seizure. Because of that, I'm prohibited from driving for six months.

We're hopeful that no treatment beyond surgery will be needed, and I expect my health insurance to cover everything . . . but despite having worked in patient data analytics, I really have no idea what the medical costs will total. What I do know is that even in the best case, my financial situation won't allow me to stay above water for the next couple of months.

I currently work as a server in a restaurant while collaborating with Aries Merritt to write his autobiography. I chose the server job to provide me a minimal income, social contact, and a flexible schedule while I write.

Aries Merritt is one of my heroes. He's 2012 Olympic champion in the 110 meter hurdles and currently holds the world record. The more I learned of his story, the more I thought, "How does this guy not have a book?!"

In 2013, a year after becoming Olympic gold medalist, he was diagnosed with a genetic disorder called FSGS. His kidney function was already at stage 5 failure—the worst you can get. In private, he worked with doctors to receive treatment within the guidelines of anti-doping regulations of track & field.

In 2015, he represented the USA at the World Championships in Beijing, winning a bronze medal with his kidneys functioning at less than 20%. Four days later he had a transplant.

It's a story that's never been fully told, and we couldn't be more excited to get it into the world!

Unfortunately, I've been operating on the thinnest of financial margins in order to write. In the meantime, I've also continued training as an amateur athlete myself. I'm a much lesser athlete than Aries but proud to have won US silver medals in my masters age group in pentathlon and decathlon. I've also been honored to connect with many world-class athletes and Olympians the past few years.

I'm comfortable with risk and can live on a tight budget, but I don't want to be forced to use money I've socked away in retirement accounts while I deal with this surgery and any possible complications. I've been skating by paying credit card minimums, which is totally out of character for me. But I accept that as a cost of getting the book done. That's the level of confidence I have in this project.

There are people with far greater needs than me, I am fully aware. I can only promise you that we will finish this story and it'll knock your socks off.

Feel free to follow along on LinkedIn or Instagram for updates. We don't quite have a landing page or title for the book yet, but I've written 90% of the second draft. Once I get over this hurdle (see what I did there), we'll start talking with publishers about getting the story across the finish line.

Finally, thank you all for the TREMENDOUS outpouring of love and support. This week has been the most emotionally difficult of my life. It reminds me of the observation that everyone should be able to witness their own funeral, to see how many lives they've touched. I assure you, you've touched mine, and I'm grateful for every moment I have on this planet to return the kindness.