I’m heartbroken to share another heavy update.
Just one day after being discharged from the emergency room, still weak and shaken, I received news that hit even harder. The bank I have been contracting with informed me that they are terminating my employment. No warning, no explanation. On Friday, July 19, I received a call at the end of the day telling me my contract, which was supposed to last another eight months, will now end on Friday, July 27.
Cancer’s Toll on My Voice, and My Career
If you have been following my updates, you know I have been fighting stage 4 cancer with everything I have. The radical neck dissection and seventy rounds of radiation have severely impacted my voice. My speech therapist believes my vagus nerve is damaged, which has left my left vocal cord impaired. We are working daily on exercises, but my voice gives out by late afternoon. Some days I can barely speak above a whisper.
I do not know if the bank used my disability as an excuse to end my contract. I may never know. But the timing, paired with their silence, cuts deep. The emotional blow is hard enough. The financial one could be devastating.
I have built a career on managing massive data center migrations and leading complex network integrations. I have always thrived under pressure. But now, with a compromised voice, I worry that employers may see me as less than capable. I am actively looking for a new contract, but the reality is harsh.
A Fork in the Road: Applying for Disability
On July 28, I applied for Social Security Disability Insurance. To qualify, you must be unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity due to a medically proven condition that is either expected to result in death or will last at least twelve months. Sadly, both apply to me.
A Future of Uncertainty
It is terrifying. The income is drastically lower, and I still have a family to support, a mortgage to pay, and life-saving treatments to fund. Things may become very lean for us. But I will not stop fighting. I will not stop treatment. I will not stop believing that somehow, God will help me get through this.
From Shame to Strength
At first, I was ashamed to ask for help. I was even embarrassed to apply for government assistance. Then I looked at my Social Security statement. Over the years, my employers and I have paid in hundreds of thousands of dollars. That money is supposed to be there in times like this—for people in critical situations.
Disability insurance could give me just enough breathing room to heal. To stay alive. To give this cancer everything I’ve got.
Every Kindness Is a Lifeline
If you are reading this, thank you for being here. Thank you for walking with me through this storm. Your prayers, your words, your donations—they are not just support. They are lifelines.
Still in the Fight—And Still Believing
I am not giving up. I am just stepping into another brutal round in this fight. And right now, I need a few more people in my corner.
If you feel moved to help, please donate. Share my story. Pray for healing. Every bit of kindness brings me one step closer to hope, to strength, and to survival.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
— Wayne