Help Miguel Fight Against Metastatic Cancer

Kathley LeTran is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

Dear friends, family, and beloved community,

This fundraiser was created by Miguel's wife and two daughters to help Miguel fight metastatic uveal melanoma, one of the most aggressive cancers to exist. Kathley, a third year UCLA medical student and Miguel's daughter, is writing on behalf of the family to ask the community for help.

Our family got the call in August 2024 that Miguel's melanoma in his eye had progressed to his liver: a devastating prognosis of less than 1 year to live without aggressive treatment.

We were given hope by UCLA Health for a new, approved treatment for his cancer. For the next several months to a year, Miguel will:

Undergo aggressive cancer treatment that includes undergoing anesthesia and surgery each time
Need heart surgery in the near future
Follow multiple heme/oncology, interventional radiology, ocular oncology, nephrology, and cardiology doctors

These treatments and doctor visits are costly. Miguel has experienced pain, fatigue, and significant weight loss, inhibiting his ability to work. My mother is his main caretaker and has had to limit her time working in order to take care of the family. As a medical student, I am limited by how much I can financially support my family.

Miguel needs treatment, fast, but we are limited by our access to resources. We hope to ease his stress by asking the community to lift our family in this time of need so that all he has to do is focus on healing.

Your generous donations will go directly towards:

Miguel’s treatment costs, with each session estimated to be at least $3,000-$5,000
New medical hearing aids for Miguel, at least $5000
The Aguiar’s family’s bills to help keep us afloat while my mother takes time off work to care for Miguel
General medical bills to follow-up for Miguel’s care

Just $10 would go a long way to helping us recuperate costs. If you cannot donate, please share this fundraiser with family and friends and send supportive messages to the Aguiar family. We are so appreciative in whatever form of support you lend us.

Miguel has endured a hard, but fulfilling life of 52 years with his wife and two daughters, and he wants to live many more years. He has Alport syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects his kidneys, eyes, and ears. At 19 years old, he lost his hearing and went into kidney failure, undergoing two kidney transplants. Even while on dialysis for years (a life-saving procedure where he filtered his blood for 4 hours every other day) he remained optimistic to live long enough to see Iron Man I in theaters. His last kidney transplant, donated by my mother, made that happen.

He's a man with dry humor, stubborn passions, and unconditional love for his family. He's a nerd who likes comics (his large comic book collection will tell you that) and scary movies, loves traveling, and has supported my mother in all of her dreams, including becoming a therapist. The day he got his diagnosis, he told us that he wants to fight.

As his daughter, I want him to be present when I graduate medical school. My sister, Kathy, wants him to be present for when she lands her first job as a game artist. His friends and family want to be there for his 55th birthday, and his 60th birthday, and beyond.

We ask you to help us fight to achieve that dream. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Please share to friends and family.