Christopher Pinder

Hi, everyone, my name is Christopher Pinder also known as “The Wine Guy” to many. I’m 32 years of age and a native of the Maryland Eastern Shore.

Last November I was very fatigued and not feeling like myself. I went to my primary physician for a physical when she noticed that my spleen was 3 times its normal size. It was very alarming, so we began to run test. Once we got to the PET scan, we notice that I had cancerous spots on my left pelvic area, stomach, and lining of my back. Once my oncologist ordered a few biopsies on the areas of concern. The results came in, I was staged at Stage 3 “Classical Hodgkin’s Lymphoma”. Wow mind blown and in deep disbelief but didn’t even have time to think to be honest. The treatment needed to start, and it had to be very aggressive.

My oncologist started me on a treatment called “ABVD” Each cycle of ABVD takes 28 days (4 weeks). You will have doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine on day 1 and day 15 of each cycle. At the end of the 28 days, you will start your second cycle of ABVD. This is exactly the same as the first cycle. This chemotherapy seemed to have little to no effect on the concerns, so my oncologist decided to stop the treatment. Devastated but still remained hopeful for the next process. We began to talk about “Stem Cell Transplants” as a better option, but we knew I needed active chemo in my system in order to start the stem cell transplant. So, we started the chemo, and everything was going great I began to get all of my dates for the process, just preparing to be cancer free. We began to have air quality issues coming from the wildfires in Canada, "yea I’m way in Maryland nothing to wary about right", WRONG. With my immune system being so compromised I ended up with a fungal infection and my doctor wanted to perform a simple scope procedure. I get prepped for the procedure and as the doctor is finishing up the scope scrapes the side of my esophagus and blood gets into my lungs. He puts me into a medical coma out of precaution. I’m in the medical coma for about a week when he tries to wake me, I fall into an actual coma for another week in half being placed on a ventilator. The doctors gave my mother two options; she could have me trachea or she could pull the plug because I wasn’t getting air through my nose because of the fungal infection. So of course, my mother signed for me to have a reversed trachea placed in my throat. After spending a month in the hospital, I came home ended up not needing the trachea, I had to learn hand skills and how to walk again because of being in bed for so long I developed stage on lymphedema. I’m working with a lymphedema specialist to just be of risk and not have lymphedema.

As a month or so goes by my Stem Cell specialist is ready to begin the stem cell procedure. Just this pass October into November I have had appointments to make sure my body is able to go through the process. I just had my personal stem cells collected to be placed back in on November 28, 2023.

Where I’m asking those who can help financially if they didn’t mind donating. I will not be able to work for a while. The full recovery for the transplant could take up to a year. I’ll spend about a month in the hospital under observation to make sure my body is rebuilding healthy non-cancerous cells.

The support and encouragement that I have received through this difficult process is nothing short of amazing. Family, friends, and community I truly appreciate all you have done this far. Thank you.