Leukemia victim Chris Williams of South Lake Tahoe is asking for financial help from the community because of mounting bills stemming from his illness.

Williams, 56, a former Horizon Casino Resort shift supervisor and Charter Communications employee, is suffering from acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, and is now undergoing his fourth round of chemotherapy at Carson-Tahoe Regional Medical Center in Carson City.

“I have Medicare, but 20 percent of the medical costs aren’t covered and I’m having a hard time with the co-pays,” Williams said. “What money we did have has gone for that and our regular bills. We are behind on our bills and we’re trying to raise some money so we can get caught up.”

“We have a long ways to go, as I am in need of a bone marrow transplant. I would like to reach out to the community to see if they can help us,” he said. “We would be greatly thankful for any assistance at all.”

Williams said his health battles began in 2010 after hip surgery, when a doctor noticed that his blood levels were below normal. After extensive testing, he was diagnosed last July with AML and underwent chemotherapy at UC Davis. He said his blood levels have started to drop again and he’s undergoing blood transfusions and bone marrow biopsies in addition to chemotherapy.

“I could go on forever with everything that has happened over the past 3.5 years,” Williams said.

Williams, who was raised in the San Jose, Calif., area and moved to South Lake Tahoe in 2002, lives with his daughter and ex-wife. He has set up a special account, the Chris Williams Leukemia Fund, at El Dorado Savings, which has three branches in the South Shore area. The account number is 143018885.

The UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center confirmed Williams’ status as a patient, and Carson-Tahoe Regional Medical Center also confirmed that he is now in that facility’s oncology unit.