Help my husband fight large spinal tumor

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UPDATES

09.18.2023 Update on Alsi Álvarez from his wife and brothers:

Alsi’s surgery went well, but the doctors were not able to remove all of the tumor.

They removed the tumor from the spinal canal and a part of the tumor outside the spine. This will reduce the amount of pain that Alsi was experiencing.

There is still significant amount of mass left outside his spine, but it is not life-threatening at the moment. The doctors were able to save his main nerves and blood vessels.

He’ll be under his doctor’s care for years to come in order to monitor the tumor. He might need another surgery, but we will know more after he gets a post surgery MRI in the next 24 hours.

Alsi is making steady progress, but his recovery will take much longer than we anticipated.

He is still in ICU.

Physical therapy team came to assess him today and recommended him to go to acute rehab after he is discharged from the hospital, as he won’t be ready to go home yet.

We are happy that the surgery was a success, but very anxious about the next steps and hopeful that Alsi recovers and gets his life back. Alsi has a long way to go, but we are grateful for all the support his friends and family have given him. Thank you for all the donations and the prayers. This might have been a setback in life, but we will not lose this battle.

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Today, on a very special day for my family, our wedding anniversary, I feel heartbroken. A month ago I discovered I was pregnant and was excited to share the news with my husband. He had some news to share, too. That same day he received a call from the clinic and was told he had a tumor in his spine. This month was the longest month of my life, filled with tears, despair, hope, and anger. My husband will have surgery in the next two weeks, and nobody can promise me that I will get him back. Here is his story, and I hope it will have a happy ending soon:

I am 38 years old, father to a four-year-old boy and a thirteen-year-old girl. My wife and I are expecting a new baby in March. A few weeks back, I was diagnosed with a spinal tumor.

This nightmare started in February with back pain and neck aches. Thinking my old bed was causing these problems, I bought a new mattress and pillow. I also got a new office chair and raised my desk. I visited my doctor, Maria Webster, and being a fan of the 2011 movie "50/50" I asked my doctor if it could be a tumor causing me pain. She dismissed it and said she could assure me it was not a tumor. She considered my pain muscle spasms and prescribed me a high dose of Ibuprofen. As the physical pain continued during March, April, and May, I reached for help from several chiropractors, a couple of massage therapists, and an acupuncturist. No one was able to stop the pain completely. On the second visit to Doctor Webster, I requested approval for an MRI of my upper back. She denied it. When I asked her why, she said that she couldn't make the recommendation to the insurance company because the insurance company would not approve it. I felt betrayed. She was taking the insurance side instead of her patient's. As the weeks passed and the pain continued, I called my clinic and spoke to a different doctor. This new doctor was kind enough to request a cervical MRI. When the MRI machine scanned me, it was already the end of July.

I was diagnosed with a cervical tumor at the back of the neck between vertebrae C5-C6. The large tumor has taken 80% of the spinal canal, is blocking a major artery, and has wrapped around to the front of my neck. It causes excruciating back and shoulder pain, making it challenging to sit for long periods. The pinched nerves have also caused muscle weakness in my right arm and leg. Handwriting has become almost impossible, and I must be careful when walking to prevent falls. It is still unknown if the tumor is malignant or benign. However, due to its location and size, it will be dangerous surgery. If all goes well, the surgeons can remove all of the tumor. There is also the chance that removing the tumor entirely might cause too much damage to the nerves; at this point, the surgeons might remove only part of the tumor and hope that it doesn't grow in the future. Since this will be a severe spine surgery, it is also in the cards that I can become paraplegic or, worst case scenario, join the afterlife.

I am sharing my experience, hoping my story helps someone else. Please see a doctor and ask for x-rays, CT scans, MRIs. I know dealing with the medical system is dreadful. It takes me 4-6 weeks to schedule a doctor's visit. Since I have HMO insurance, the referral process to approve a specialist visit takes 2-3 weeks. Once I have the approval from my insurance, scheduling a visit to the specialist takes another 2-3 weeks. That is about 2-3 months to see a specialist.

As you know now, my family and I are going through a complicated period. We are lucky that we live in the Bay Area and that my neurosurgeons are from UCSF, the best neurology department in the country. I will be having surgery on September 15th, 2023. If all goes well, I can walk independently in 6 weeks. It might take me another six weeks to six months to fully recover and return to work. Feel free to contribute in any way possible. My family will use the donations to cover medical expenses before and after surgery, physical therapy, Bay Area living expenses due to my loss of work. Also, there is a chance my insurance will not cover all of the cost of the spinal surgery because Doctor Maria Webster has left the medical center through the middle of this medical procedure, and I've been rushing to get a new Primary Doctor within my network. The cherry on top of this medical bureaucracy fiasco.

My wife and I are scared, but we try to stay positive and enjoy every moment we spend together. I leave you all with this poem I love:

If I were able to live my life again,

In the next, I would try to commit more errors.

I would not try to be so perfect and would relax more.

I would be more foolish than I've been.

I would take fewer things seriously.

I would be less hygienic.

I would take more risks,

take more vacations,

contemplate more sunsets,

climb more mountains,

swim more rivers.

I would go to more places where I've never been.

I would eat more ice cream and fewer beans.

I would have more real problems and less imaginary ones.

I was one of those people that lived sensibly

and prolifically each minute of his life;

Of course, I had moments of happiness.

If I could go back, I would try

to have only good moments.

Because if you didn't know, that is what life is made of:

Only of moments; Don't lose the now.

I was one of those that never

went anywhere without a thermometer,

a hot water bottle,

an umbrella, and a parachute.

If I could live again, I would travel lighter.

If I could live again,

I would begin to walk barefoot from the beginning of spring,

and I would continue barefoot until autumn ends.

I would take more cart rides,

contemplate more dawns,

and play with more children.

If I had another life ahead of me.

But already you see, I am [38],

and I know that I am dying.