Support for Darren

Hi, my name is Nadia and I'm fundraising for my husband Darren. Our family has been impacted by his illness this year. His journey began last year in October 2022 when he developed a mass on the right side of his face. We didn't think too much about it since it wasn't significant at the time. I advised he be seen by his family doctor, which he did. He was given an antibiotic for 7 days but had no change. His doctor decided to order a CT scan which showed he needed further testing. A second CT scan was done and was determined he needed a ultrasound guided needle biopsy of the mass. The biopsy results indicated he needed even further testing as some of the cells appeared cancerous, at this time his mass had significantly grown in size.

Surgery was scheduled in January and on the day of his procedure his doctor pulled me into a room to discuss what he saw during surgery. He told me "I believe your husband has lymphoma." My heart sank but I remained calm and listened. He told me his tissue would be sent to pathology and he would need a PET scan for staging. His PET scan revealed stage 3/4 Non Hodgkins Lymphoma and was going to require chemotherapy. Radiation wasn't needed but due to a mass of lympnodes surrounding his ureter Darren was going to need a stent in his kidney. Two weeks later we were back for another surgery.

Darren was moving right along and doing well with his chemo. He didn't require a medport since he only needed sessions every 3 wks. His doctor said he could do it for him but it would be another expense and he believed Darren was a good candidate for chemo by IV, so we opted for the peripheral IV chemo. By his 3rd session of chemo his mass had resolved and Darren was ecstatic at his progress. He even gained a pound. His oncologist was very happy with how well Darren was responding to his treatment. He even suggested we go celebrate.

On Darren's 5th chemo treatment, thing's changed. The next day he felt terrible in the morning. He had fever, chills, nausea and some pain. He decided to stay home from work that morning but was able to pull himself together and return to work later that afternoon. When he came home from work he just rested. The next day, the same thing. The evening of May 14th Darren was in the worst pain I've ever seen him in. He could barely move his right arm and it was swollen and hot to the touch. The next morning I called his doctors. He was prescribed some pain medication but his oncologist was out of town and he wouldn't be able to be seen. We tried the pain meds that day but only got minimal relief. The swelling became more significant and Darren was now saying he felt like he was having nerve pain that radiated up to his shoulder and neck. It was horrible to watch him go through that. I had to take that week off work.

On Wednesday we got a call from his doctor and said they wanted Darren to get an ultrasound of his right arm. It revealed he had 2 blood clots that were superficial, but the swelling and inflammation were significant. Aspirin and heat therapy were what the doctor ordered. The remainder of his chemo sessions were put on hold until this issue could be resolved. The week of Memorial Day he seemed to be improving but not enough for him to return to work. The swelling was resolving but his neck and shoulder pain were still pretty intense. Darren also noticed some of his joints in his hands, wrists and ankles were kinda bothering him. We weren't sure why since the clots were on his right side and now his left side was becoming affected.

On June 7th Darren could barely walk. He had tremors in his hands and feet, swelling to his joints, which didn't present all at once. It seemed like everyday it was something new. This was now the WORST pain I've ever seen him in. I hand fed him his pills, water, food, brushed his hair, helped him reposition, dressed him, EVERYTHING! He couldn't do anything for himself at this point. We were referred to yet another doctor, a Rheumatologist. Darren is in a wheelchair at this point and I've been out of work for 3 weeks caring for him. They ran all kinds of autoimmune blood work and still nothing has really been determined. Rheumatoid Arthritis has been discussed a few times but hasn't been actually diagnosed. His Rheumatologist said Darren was the 3rd case he's seen in over 10yrs with as severe inflammation. He is on the highest dose of steroids his doctor has ever prescribed on an outpatient basis.

Darren is doing better now with the treatment but so much has happened since that last chemo session. He lost 40lbs in 2 months! He's still currently not working and has been out since May. He can walk around the house now but not long distances. It finally looks like there is a light at the end of the tunnel but his journey isn't over yet. He still has infusions he needs to have done with his Rheumatologist and will also need infusions done every 2 months for 2yrs with his oncologist. Another surgery is scheduled for removal of his kidney stent and then another PET scan in August.

I have never asked for help like this before and actually is a bit embarrassing but I'm at a point of desperation. I am the one who holds the medical insurance for the family and it's been very overwhelming managing everything while taking care of a "temporary disabled" person. At least I hope it's temporary. We're both fairly young and were completely blindsided by all of this. The medical bills dont stop coming and are piling and piling up. I don't even have enough time to pay them before more show up in the mail.

Any donations will be used to help pay for all his medical expenses (labs, scans, surgery, infusions, medications, etc). I want to say thank you in advance and thank you to all that have already helped in one way or another. It is truly, truly appreciated.