Support Todd’s recovery from prostate cancer

Update from Todd on March 4, 2024:

Hello all, here’s a brief update on my progress since Becky Regnery posted the GoFundMe in January. My levels of prostate-specific antigen (a key marker for prostate cancer) have fallen by over fourfold since I underwent radiotherapy and started taking anticancer meds. In December, I could barely move my foot. I now have a daily routine that includes climbing and descending stairs, getting around on crutches, exercises taught me by my physio, and lifting weights. I’m optimistic that in a month or so, I’ll be able to get around without crutches or having to lean against something. Once again, your help is immensely appreciated!

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Todd Capson has devoted his professional life to protecting the world’s oceans, working for twenty-five years in Latin America, Northwest Africa, and South Africa. At the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, he led efforts to protect Panama’s Coiba National Park, resulting in national legislation and its recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. He also built and led a U.S. Government-supported international team to discover new medicines from tropical ecosystems in Panama that has become a model for its emphasis on capacity building. He worked as an AAAS Diplomacy Fellow at the State Department’s Office of Marine Conservation, leading their international shark conservation program and serving on the Interagency Working Group on Ocean Acidification. That’s where he was working when we first worked together on shark conservation.

His current conservation efforts are two-fold. First, as a Research Associate of the Paris Institute of Global Physics, he works to address the impacts of climate change on Northwest African oceans, drawing attention to the impacts of CO2 emissions on an extraordinarily vulnerable group of people (Capson et al. 2021). Second, he was invited to help establish South Africa’s first marine UNESCO World Heritage Site. His proposal for a combined natural + cultural, serial, World Heritage Site that embraces the tip of the continent has been embraced by the Government of South Africa. Todd is an unabashed workaholic with an unshakable belief in the capacity of the individual to be an agent of great change.

Todd is also the proud father of Gabriel Capson Tojo and grandfather of 21-month-old Kai, with another grandchild on the way.

Todd was diagnosed with prostate cancer with some spread to the vertebrae. This meant that he initially needed a stabilizing back operation. This operation took place at Christian Barnaard hospital in Capetown, South Africa, on November 23rd and was successful. Doctors are optimistic that a combination of chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and radiotherapy can be successful in eradicating the tumor. Following this vitally important treatment is the equally important phase of physical rehabilitation to repair the nerve damage resulting from the vertebral disease, to regain mobility, and overall strength.

The costs to date, or that will be incurred, are listed below (USD).

Surgery & hospital stay: 22,000

Radiation: 4,280

MRIs and X-ray: 3,000

Chemotherapy: 4,000

Physical rehabilitation: 8,000

Facilities for physical rehabilitation: 2,400

Miscellaneous (ambulances, transfusions, etc.): 3,000

Estimated total costs: 46,680

While Todd does receive a part-time salary for his work in South Africa from Parley for the Oceans (as he gratefully acknowledges), he does not have the financial resources to cover the vast majority of the expenses summarized above. Any financial contribution will go towards to his recovery and peace of mind and will be most greatly appreciated.