Troy Collins Cancer Treatment Fund
My name is Stacey Adams, I am fundraising for my little brother (my BB) Troy Collins. Troy currently has stage 4 of a rare type of cancer, Primitive Neuro-Ectodermal Tumors (PNET). He is currently in the experimental treatment/clinical trial stage, as they cannot perform surgery due to the location and possible complications. Although this is not his 1st time being treated for this type of cancer (I will expand on his story below) this particular bout has been over a year of financial, physical and emotional strain on Troy and his lovely wife Lindsey. They always remain positive, never complain and though you would never know it they could use a helping hand. We hope you can find it in your heart to help Troy and his beautiful wife relieve any financial burden so they can focus solely on getting him in remission… for good this time!
Troy's Story…
Anyone who has met Troy knows his heart is pure gold. Extremely generous in so many ways. He would literally give the shirt off his back to a stranger or spend his weekend helping you fix your car and air conditioner in the middle of a major heat advisory. You got a leak?... no problem he will drop everything to come save you time and money while making you laugh and never asking for anything in return. He simply finds joy in being in service to others. Found a passion for fixing things and helping people at a young age; became a jack of all trades and everyone's favorite handyman. Honestly, he is a true “Man's Man” in every sense … that’s also addicted to anything pumpkin spice. Above all else, he absolutely adores his wife, his rock, Lindsey and their adorable 11yr old pup Glacier.
Troy and the love of his life Lindsey are high school sweethearts, they married in 2015 in the mountains (Troy's favorite place) on Halloween (Lindsey's favorite holiday). Unfortunately, the honeymoon phase didn’t last as they received news that would set their lives on a completely different trajectory than they intended.
In 2017, Troy was diagnosed with a rare form of Testicular Cancer, specifically Primitive Neuro-Ectodermal Tumors (PNET). He was only 24 years old at the time. He had several major surgeries, including an incredibly invasive procedure during which he was cut sternum to pelvis, 17 lymph nodes were removed from his abdominal cavity. After surgery, and intensive chemotherapy, he was officially in remission! Troy and Lindsey lived their life to the fullest while continuing to monitor his situation and in 2019 they decided to truly settle down and purchase their first home together.
Sadly, In June of 2021, a large lump/mass developed on the side of Troy’s neck, adjacent to the collarbone, as well as several masses in his abdomen. Being that Primitive Neuro-Ectodermal Tumors (PNET) is exceedingly rare, that unfortunately does make the process even more difficult to treat due to it being resistant to chemo and radiation. Additionally, there is very little research on this type of cancer. Troy underwent another surgery, which was not successful. The surgeon was unable to remove all of the tumor present in his neck because it had wrapped around the main artery and the collarbone. Although this news was terribly difficult and discouraging, Troy being Troy, barely skipped a beat and is willing to do whatever it takes to heal! Chemotherapy was the next step- four more rounds of chemo and 30 consecutive days of isolated radiation later brings us to the current situation.
Troy is extremely fortunate to be under the care of West Clinic and to be on the tumor board, where doctors from all over can gather information and discuss the best course of action. Time is of the essence, but unfortunately there have been a lot of delays, canceled scans, doctors appointments and surgeries, due to the difficulties that the pandemic has caused and difficulties with what insurance will actually cover. His type of cancer is largely misunderstood, especially in this area, so Troy has finally been referred to one of the top doctors in his field in Chicago who expressed Troy’s next steps are experimental treatments and/or clinical trials because surgery is no longer an option.
This is where you guys come in…
For the foreseeable future he and Lindsey will need to travel to Nashville from Memphis 3-4 days a week to get the treatment he needs to beat this. We are not yet sure what will be covered by insurance, if any. We all know the financial strain of living through the pandemic. Couple that with going through cancer treatments with an unknown outcome. Bills are piling up, all the while, the appointments and treatments are continuing. We all want the best outcome for him and we humbly ask anyone who knows Troy, any of his friends or family, or if YOU could find it in your heart to give whatever you can, pray and/or share his story. All is welcome and is appreciated more than you could possibly know and we thank you truly from the bottom of our hearts. 