Fighting for mental health while fighting stage 4 brain cancer: Bryan Fevold

“I care about healing the scene because I personally know what it's like to have depression, to not have a strong outlook on life. Everybody goes through hard times. HeartSupport is a great community where a person like me can go and spill out their feelings, and somebody's going to be there to catch me — every time.”

-Bryan Fevold

Bryan Fevold knows what it means to fight: he’s been fighting stage 4 brain cancer for years. It’s a journey that has made him uniquely passionate about making sure no one has to go through the worst experiences of their life alone. 

That passion — combined with a love for heavy music — led him straight to HeartSupport.

Bryan Fevold is a Denver-based photographer who says he always has emotive music like August Burns Red playing in the studio. 

“I listen to tons of bands,” the photographer shares. “Some of them in the metal category, like August Burns Red and Lamb of God. But really, it’s any music that can conjure some strong emotions. So I don't just listen to metal, I also get into bands like Matt Mason, Steinza, or Lainey Wilson. Lyrics and voices that can churn emotion: that's what I like.”

So in early 2023, Bryan was quick to take the chance to catch an August Burns Red show at the Fillmore in his hometown. He didn’t realize that the night would be the start of a connection that would change his life.

“I saw some HeartSupport shirts around, but I didn't really know what it was,” Bryan remembers. “I got the opportunity that night to talk to a few members from August Burns Red, including Matt Greiner. He filled me in on what HeartSupport was all about.”

Bryan went on to buy Jake Luhrs’s book, Mountains, and read more about HeartSupport’s history. He was hooked. 

He says, “HeartSupport is such a unique approach to mental health awareness. I feel like the platform is metal music that reaches out to a younger group that may not have felt like they had much of a microphone before for their struggles to be heard. I found it really inspiring. It felt like a platform that I could easily jump onto. I like helping people, and I love metal.”

That desire to help others has been forged through his own journey through cancer treatment and the kindness of strangers. Battling brain cancer can be a devastating daily experience, and it would have been easy to shut down with the discouragement. Instead, Bryan found himself repeatedly stunned by how much of a difference it made when people reached out with care and support. 

“I had so many people reach out and say, ‘how can I help? What can I do?’” the metal fan recalls. “That stuck with me. It wasn't just friends and family. It was complete strangers that were reaching out. And I thought, if they're doing that for me, what can I do for anybody else, whether it's cancer-related or not? It was just an easy decision.”

Bryan Fevold became a donor to HeartSupport, but he also went a step further: he started mobilizing his own community through fundraisers, inviting others in his life to heal the scene alongside him. Even when he wasn’t feeling well while he battled his illness and resulting disabilities, he knew that he could send out a social media post about HeartSupport from his phone. He quickly began convincing his friends and family that this was so much bigger than just metal music. 

Looking back on those conversations, Bryan says, “It felt cool to reach out to people like my parents and their friends. I sat my parents down and said, ‘Look, I know you don't like the loudness of the music, but just read the lyrics. Then tell me what you think about this band and what they do for people.’”

Through moments like those, Bryan has been able to amplify his own impact, becoming a crucial part of HeartSupport’s biggest year of growth yet. He’s been able to watch firsthand as their capacity to support people both online and in person has grown exponentially. And he’s found every moment rewarding. 

“I know what depression and despair feel like,” he admits. “Not everybody has an immediate support group. You need people to reach out to, who have your back. I think HeartSupport does that for a group of people that might not have felt like they had a comfortable place to go before.”

That focus on others has persisted even through the uncertainty that is inherent in a stage 4 cancer diagnosis. When he needs a moment to refocus, Bryan often finds himself turning to lyrics from August Burns Red:

“Stop dwelling on what happens when we die; Start helping others while we're still alive.” — “Treatment” by August Burns Red

“I can stop thinking about the crap and focus on this instead. Let's turn this around,” Bryan says earnestly. “After donating, obviously, it felt good. But more than that, it felt like being welcomed to a community or a movement. I just felt included: like I was joining something that was bigger than any one person.”

Even after such a significant year of growth, Bryan knows that the best is yet to come. 

“Over the last year, I've watched HeartSupport grow not only with their staff, but with their community outreach and their recognition in the community. More people are aware of HeartSupport,” Bryan observes. “I think that's incredible that they're picking up speed this quickly. I'm just excited to see how big they get, who will step up to help make it a household name.”

The truth is that for that growth to continue, for the scene to continue healing, more people like Bryan are needed: more people willing to turn their own pain into purpose. More people willing to use their unique platform and networks to stand up for mental health. More people who care about helping others for as long as you’re alive.

“It's comforting, knowing that there's a place to go to vent, to talk with friends, to find resources and support. It's all right there at HeartSupport, kind of a one-stop shop,” Bryan summarizes. “I think it's going to continue helping a lot of people.”

If you’d like to be part of healing the scene with Bryan, you can make a tax-deductible donation today. Be part of the continued process of sending hope and help to people who have never had access to it before.