Help Support Christian's Cancer Treatment

Our 17-year-old nephew, Christian, was recently diagnosed with myoepithelial carcinoma (MC) in August of 2021. MC is extremely rare and affects less than 1% of all people diagnosed with cancer. It is aggressive and has a high rate of recurrence and metastasis. Doctors do not have much information about MC or how to treat it. Due to its rarity, doctors admit chemotherapy has not proven successful against it. 

 

We need your help. His treatment options will not be fully covered by insurance. He needs treatment that can heal him and bring him back to full health, in hopes he can play his spot on the varsity football team, enjoy his senior year of high school, and fully live out his life.

 

Christian's Story:

Christian was born in Hawaii and now lives in Silverdale, Washington with his family. He is a faithful follower of Jesus and a loving role model for his younger brother and sisters. He enjoys playing sports, especially football and boxing. Upon graduation from high school, he wants to pursue a career as a firefighter.

 

In 2018, Christian's mom felt a lump on the back of his neck, near his spine. When she took him to the doctor to have it checked out, the doctor passed it off as a muscle tear since he was so active in sports. 

 

In June 2021, the doctors finally became concerned about the lump and performed an ultrasound of the area. It did not yield any clues because the tumor was too far beneath the muscle. They performed a CT scan and an MRI which confirmed the lump was indeed a tumor on the cervical area of Christian's spine. The doctors performed a biopsy which took six weeks for pathologists at the University of Washington to determine it was Myoepithelial Carcinoma. They later performed a PET scan, where the tumor along with a nearby lymph node “lit up” signifying the strong possibility that the cancer had spread.

 

On September 1, 2021, Christian underwent surgery to remove the lymph node for biopsy. The lymph node was much deeper than originally anticipated, resulting in a lot more pain afterward. The doctors had to install a drainage tube at the incision point, which was removed a week later. The biopsy of the lymph node confirmed that it too to contained the MC cancer cells, which meant the cancer had spread into his lymphatic system and now has greater potential to spread further. 

 

How you can pray for Christian:

As believers, we recognize God as the ultimate healer. He is the only one we can trust in for healing Would you pray with us, for God to heal Christian of this cancer, whether it be by miraculous means or through some sort of medicine or treatment, or both. Pray for God to strengthen and sustain Christian’s faith through the valleys and mountain tops of this life challenge. Our prayer is that his faith and this journey would be an encouragement to others and would help to draw others to Christ. Pray for his comfort and the comfort of his family that they may rest in the promises of God. 

If you'd like to follow up with Christian and his journey, please follow him on Instagram & TikTok @teamchristian777
Link to YouTube video: https://youtu.be/HW-re1yn0e0