Tyler's Hodgkins Lymphoma Fund
Donation protected
To begin I would like to thank god and my family, yes that includes Nicole, for having my back through these rough turbulent times. CANCER effects all walks of life; the young, old, weak, and strong. There is no way to justify if one is to have the disease or if it may latch onto a loved one. It's devastating way of striking can come silently and sometimes unnoticed. This is how my story begins.
In 2014 my life was that of any young American finding their way through paying for school and working full time. Meals, sleep, and fun times were far and in between the hours of making the hours themselves stretch. One day my hectic lifestyle got somehow worse. I got home to my apartment and my girlfriend noticed bumps all over my sides and back; by the hundreds. Meanwhile earlier that day I was so itchy like I had been torn up by some mosquitos. I decided to go to the doctor. Nothing was done to help. A referral to the local allergist was made followed by them telling me I had common allergies. That's where I began to loose hope.
Months and months went by taking oatmeal bath after oatmeal bath trying to crush these terrible hives that I could not loose. Finally I began to break down. I left school that semester and even dropped my hours at work to part time. Christmas was not far off at that point and it was going to unfortunately be one of those years of homemade gifts or hugs as gifts, I think the classic coupons for chores or massages were given too. The cold seemed to help a bit with the scratching but things changed a bit. In January I began to have chest pains. The doctor said it was probably related to the allergies I was having and to start taking prednisone. I hated this drug but it seemed to help for a while. Towards the end of February this started to fail and the pains in my chest had increased substantially. I went home for a few days while my girlfriend had a few crazy work shifts. One morning I woke up feeling very faint and my mother began to worry once she noticed I was very pale with almost blue colored lips. At this point, without my approval being as stubborned as a mule, she called an ambulance.
I thought how is a 22 year old going away in an ambulance for some chest pressure. The paramedics arrived and seemed just as worried as my mother. My heart rate resting was in 170's and I was very off balanced. We arrived in the hospital and like usual there was a lot of waiting around. On this night, February 28 my life would change for ever.
The doctor had been doing ct scans, x-rays, and then ultrasounds. All out of nowhere many doctors came in with almost a gloom over their faces which were hung low. They shared the results with my loved ones and I. One doctor, which name I I'll not mention, said my heart was irregulary large and it was causing fluid build up and that I needed it drained imedialetly. I had this done and it was extremely painful. The process include a huge thick guage needle being stuck through my abdomen up to my heart. The doctors apprentice was not very steady and this procces was done 5 times, once stabbing the tissue of the heart, until it was done. They removed right under a liter of fluid from my periardic sac. From that point I passed out because they had to do this procedure with only local anesthetic on the skin. When I woke I was back at the ultrasound station with tubes and cathedars sticking out of my belly. They had realized they needed to double check this so called inlarged heart. Unfortunately it was not the case. What they mistook as my heart was actually a tumor sitting, encasing, and almost covering the heart; this the fluid build up. From there I was in shock and set in ICU to recover from my procedure.
After 3 days the cardiologist wanted to try a biopsy of the mass; a very simple procedure. Unfortunately it did not produce viable results. So I spent another week in the hospital until I was released to gather some neccasities from home for an upcoming surgical biopsy at a heart and surgery facility. I prayed and prayed until the day came where I undertook a bigger more involved surgery. I went in and woke 8 hours later. Apparently there were complications because when I woke my right lung had a 70% collapse. During the surgery I had a chunk of rib removed, a scoop of mass taken, and about 14 staples to close it up. This put me in the hospital for about 12 days. The surgery really messed up my balance so I was getting around with a walker and onto a cane later. Breathing was an issue so everyday I would take out my oxygen lines and breathe into a measuring device to regain my lung capacity; this went on for months. I had machines draining my wounds and central line feeding me antibiotics. Finally I was released but still did not know the outcome of the biopsy.
After being home for a week my wound began to bulge forward and leak this orange liquid but I waited it out until I was to see the doctor for the results. This was not a smart move. Gathered with my love ones I visited my doctor for the results. Yet again I had my world flipped upside down not knowing which direction to seek refuge. He said the mass came back positive for being cancerous and being that of Hodgkins Lymphoma. I wept alongside my parents and girlfriend. Then still in an almost coma like state I showed my doctor my chest. At once he had me re-admitted to the hospital. The wound has become severely infected. So up until this point the Dr.'s told me that if I was one hour later for my heart being drained I would have died, I nearly died during complications during the surgery, and now from an infection that was near the point of not being mended.
I had yet another surgery were all the tissues and infectious material was removed. I was stapled back up and had to do a long stint in the hospital for my white blood cell count to drop. After a while they figured the infection was gone and the Lymphoma was what was keeping the white cell high. Just in case it was not they put me in home health care for two months at home with IVs that I gave myself through my newly installed pic line. By this point it was April of 2015 and it was time to speak to an oncologist.
Sorting through many things such as a bone marrow tap to sample it for cancer and my first of many PET scans it was found that the cancer was stage 2 and was in many places besides the tumor by my heart. It was discovered that the largest tumor was the one on the heart and was a whopping 10cm x 4cm x 2cm. I thought to myself that's nearly the size of my hand minus the fingers. I started chemo after having my pic switched over to a port in my chest.
I was set and ready to go for my first day of ABVD chemotherapy. These cycles were once every two weeks and lasted about 8 hours. They all made me terribly sick I lost an astonishing 51 lbs once it was done. During that time I got to spend more time in the hospital once the pain in my neck turned out to be a huge blood clot near the jugular. Then after 4 cycles it was time for a pet scan with all the glory of the nasty radioactive sugar isotope that is injected. The results showed progress but cancer still existing.
I the started what I believe is B-Chop which was a lot more harsh. This made me loose my hair, gain back all the weight plus some, made my face swollen, the infamous moon face, and literally created the feeling of no hope. It was 4 times a week and a shot on a fifth day every three weeks. This went on for 4 cycles and time yet again for the pet was there.
My jaw dropped when I got the news. He could find no cancerous masses. I was so I happy that I cried and thanked God for my second chance. This lasted a few weeks.....
My symptoms from 2014 were coming back while waiting for radiation treatment to begin. Hives, chest, and joint pain was all back. I went to the doctor and had another pet scan. The results made me feel hopeless yet again. The cancer had formed new masses in new areas which meant that my body was not able to keep up without chemo. What great Christmas news this was 3 days before.
It was already 2016, I still wasn't working, I Lost my apartment and had to move home, could not claim disability because my previous work was for a family friend, and I had to face the music. I had to start more chemotherapy and once it worked again, I would need to go away to Stanford medical for a Stem Cell Transplant. This was sadly the closest place that performs this procedure. It is now near the end of April and at some point in July or August I must go get a hopeful life saving operation.
I am putting my fears and story on this page in hopes that some of you can help me fund this procedure. Insurance will only cover so much and it will definitely make my other medical debt that much more overwhelming. Please if you can donate.
If you are in the situation that you can not give just take this information and possibly spread the awareness of Hodgkins Lymphoma since it does affect many young thriving adults.
Thank you and God bless
In 2014 my life was that of any young American finding their way through paying for school and working full time. Meals, sleep, and fun times were far and in between the hours of making the hours themselves stretch. One day my hectic lifestyle got somehow worse. I got home to my apartment and my girlfriend noticed bumps all over my sides and back; by the hundreds. Meanwhile earlier that day I was so itchy like I had been torn up by some mosquitos. I decided to go to the doctor. Nothing was done to help. A referral to the local allergist was made followed by them telling me I had common allergies. That's where I began to loose hope.
Months and months went by taking oatmeal bath after oatmeal bath trying to crush these terrible hives that I could not loose. Finally I began to break down. I left school that semester and even dropped my hours at work to part time. Christmas was not far off at that point and it was going to unfortunately be one of those years of homemade gifts or hugs as gifts, I think the classic coupons for chores or massages were given too. The cold seemed to help a bit with the scratching but things changed a bit. In January I began to have chest pains. The doctor said it was probably related to the allergies I was having and to start taking prednisone. I hated this drug but it seemed to help for a while. Towards the end of February this started to fail and the pains in my chest had increased substantially. I went home for a few days while my girlfriend had a few crazy work shifts. One morning I woke up feeling very faint and my mother began to worry once she noticed I was very pale with almost blue colored lips. At this point, without my approval being as stubborned as a mule, she called an ambulance.
I thought how is a 22 year old going away in an ambulance for some chest pressure. The paramedics arrived and seemed just as worried as my mother. My heart rate resting was in 170's and I was very off balanced. We arrived in the hospital and like usual there was a lot of waiting around. On this night, February 28 my life would change for ever.
The doctor had been doing ct scans, x-rays, and then ultrasounds. All out of nowhere many doctors came in with almost a gloom over their faces which were hung low. They shared the results with my loved ones and I. One doctor, which name I I'll not mention, said my heart was irregulary large and it was causing fluid build up and that I needed it drained imedialetly. I had this done and it was extremely painful. The process include a huge thick guage needle being stuck through my abdomen up to my heart. The doctors apprentice was not very steady and this procces was done 5 times, once stabbing the tissue of the heart, until it was done. They removed right under a liter of fluid from my periardic sac. From that point I passed out because they had to do this procedure with only local anesthetic on the skin. When I woke I was back at the ultrasound station with tubes and cathedars sticking out of my belly. They had realized they needed to double check this so called inlarged heart. Unfortunately it was not the case. What they mistook as my heart was actually a tumor sitting, encasing, and almost covering the heart; this the fluid build up. From there I was in shock and set in ICU to recover from my procedure.
After 3 days the cardiologist wanted to try a biopsy of the mass; a very simple procedure. Unfortunately it did not produce viable results. So I spent another week in the hospital until I was released to gather some neccasities from home for an upcoming surgical biopsy at a heart and surgery facility. I prayed and prayed until the day came where I undertook a bigger more involved surgery. I went in and woke 8 hours later. Apparently there were complications because when I woke my right lung had a 70% collapse. During the surgery I had a chunk of rib removed, a scoop of mass taken, and about 14 staples to close it up. This put me in the hospital for about 12 days. The surgery really messed up my balance so I was getting around with a walker and onto a cane later. Breathing was an issue so everyday I would take out my oxygen lines and breathe into a measuring device to regain my lung capacity; this went on for months. I had machines draining my wounds and central line feeding me antibiotics. Finally I was released but still did not know the outcome of the biopsy.
After being home for a week my wound began to bulge forward and leak this orange liquid but I waited it out until I was to see the doctor for the results. This was not a smart move. Gathered with my love ones I visited my doctor for the results. Yet again I had my world flipped upside down not knowing which direction to seek refuge. He said the mass came back positive for being cancerous and being that of Hodgkins Lymphoma. I wept alongside my parents and girlfriend. Then still in an almost coma like state I showed my doctor my chest. At once he had me re-admitted to the hospital. The wound has become severely infected. So up until this point the Dr.'s told me that if I was one hour later for my heart being drained I would have died, I nearly died during complications during the surgery, and now from an infection that was near the point of not being mended.
I had yet another surgery were all the tissues and infectious material was removed. I was stapled back up and had to do a long stint in the hospital for my white blood cell count to drop. After a while they figured the infection was gone and the Lymphoma was what was keeping the white cell high. Just in case it was not they put me in home health care for two months at home with IVs that I gave myself through my newly installed pic line. By this point it was April of 2015 and it was time to speak to an oncologist.
Sorting through many things such as a bone marrow tap to sample it for cancer and my first of many PET scans it was found that the cancer was stage 2 and was in many places besides the tumor by my heart. It was discovered that the largest tumor was the one on the heart and was a whopping 10cm x 4cm x 2cm. I thought to myself that's nearly the size of my hand minus the fingers. I started chemo after having my pic switched over to a port in my chest.
I was set and ready to go for my first day of ABVD chemotherapy. These cycles were once every two weeks and lasted about 8 hours. They all made me terribly sick I lost an astonishing 51 lbs once it was done. During that time I got to spend more time in the hospital once the pain in my neck turned out to be a huge blood clot near the jugular. Then after 4 cycles it was time for a pet scan with all the glory of the nasty radioactive sugar isotope that is injected. The results showed progress but cancer still existing.
I the started what I believe is B-Chop which was a lot more harsh. This made me loose my hair, gain back all the weight plus some, made my face swollen, the infamous moon face, and literally created the feeling of no hope. It was 4 times a week and a shot on a fifth day every three weeks. This went on for 4 cycles and time yet again for the pet was there.
My jaw dropped when I got the news. He could find no cancerous masses. I was so I happy that I cried and thanked God for my second chance. This lasted a few weeks.....
My symptoms from 2014 were coming back while waiting for radiation treatment to begin. Hives, chest, and joint pain was all back. I went to the doctor and had another pet scan. The results made me feel hopeless yet again. The cancer had formed new masses in new areas which meant that my body was not able to keep up without chemo. What great Christmas news this was 3 days before.
It was already 2016, I still wasn't working, I Lost my apartment and had to move home, could not claim disability because my previous work was for a family friend, and I had to face the music. I had to start more chemotherapy and once it worked again, I would need to go away to Stanford medical for a Stem Cell Transplant. This was sadly the closest place that performs this procedure. It is now near the end of April and at some point in July or August I must go get a hopeful life saving operation.
I am putting my fears and story on this page in hopes that some of you can help me fund this procedure. Insurance will only cover so much and it will definitely make my other medical debt that much more overwhelming. Please if you can donate.
If you are in the situation that you can not give just take this information and possibly spread the awareness of Hodgkins Lymphoma since it does affect many young thriving adults.
Thank you and God bless
Organizer
Tyler Wallen
Organizer
Fresno, CA