Let's Go!!

Hi friends! Roger Blevins here. I'm the founder and President of The Tough Crowd Project. I'm also a cancer survivor and patient. As a singer and musician, having most of my tongue and part of the floor of my mouth removed and part of my neck rebuilt wasn't in the plan.

My wife, Valerie, and I are blessed with great jobs and solid health insurance, but the out-of-pocket costs are daunting and relentless. The generosity of our friends, family, church and music communities literally helped to save my life.

Although I'm still a patient at MD Anderson, as I write this post I'm one year N.E.D. (no evidence of disease). Because of the brilliance and skill of our healthcare teams and the support of friends and strangers alike, I have the GIFT of continuing to work on my speech and singing.

We have met SO many wonderful warriors through our cancer journey that have had to fight not only cancer, but the financial turmoil it can bring. Families who have had to be apart for months or even years in order to get their children the best care they could while not losing their primary income or insurance. Other folks who simply felt they couldn't continue with treatment becasue of the financial burden it would cause their familes. It's truly heartbreaking.

We know how incredibly lucky we have been so far. It's that gratitude and our love & respect for these amazing warriors that has led us to establish The Tough Crowd Project. My hope is to build a community of support through our shared humanity and love of music. We're excited to partner with nonprofit organizations who are getting patients and their familes the help they need. Thank you so much for being here and spreading the word!