Please help Dustin's battle with cancer!

Hello everyone and Thank you very much for taking the time to read!

My name is Antonio Quesada, and I am starting a fundraiser for my uncle Dustin Maenpa,

who has recently been diagnosed with a rare Pancreaticobilary cancer diagnosis that

included carcinoma with malignancy in cells throughout his entire abdomen.

In June, Dustin started to feel very ill and began having severe abdominal symptoms that included sudden pain, severe bloating and unintended weight loss. He developed jaundice,

was rushed to ER in early July and spent the next week in the hospital going through a

series of lab tests, scans, procedures and biopsies as doctors were trying to determine what

was going on. They grew more concerned by how aggressive this illness was progressing

throughout his body with all the varied symptoms and why it was taking longer than

expected to get a proper diagnosis.

The first step doctors took was to perform endoscopy procedures and place a stent in his gallbladder bile duct, as a mass/obstruction had formed in his bilary portal vein tract, which

is what had caused the jaundice. The stent was able to eliminate the jaundice but symptoms

and complications continued to shift at an alarmingly aggressive rate as ascites (a build-up

of fluid in the abdomen) had developed and tumors were now growing inside his abdomen. Fluid samples were taken from his abdomen and these results identified malignant cells

in the fluid.

These results were categorized as stage 4 cancer. This precluded him from being a surgical candidate to remove any tumor or mass since it meant the cancer was spreading rapidly throughout the body cavity. As doctors continued to perform tests on this rare and complicated case of symptoms, he was finally diagnosed with a form of Pancreaticobilary bile tract cancer / (BTC).

Now, family and friends are putting together a fundraiser on behalf of Dustin Maenpa.

This disease is affecting his entire body and GI tract and is causing a lot of complications and discomfort including difficultly with digestion, distended abdomen, muscle loss, numbness,

lack of sleeping and just meeting life’s basic needs. As the tumors in his abdomen continue

to expand rapidly, it began causing severe cramping, bloating and at a certain point, it became very difficult for him to walk because of the pressure caused by the tumor expanding around

his pelvis and hip.

The only way Dustin can return to his normal way of life is through immediate treatment,

starting with an immunotherapy & chemotherapy treatment combination. Without this treatment, the disease has a poor prognosis and since it’s so aggressive, leaves very limited treatment options. He is an excellent candidate for recovery from the chemo because of his

age and prior good health conditions, although recovery will be a potentially long and challenging road due to the intensive treatment plan.

At the moment, he is working with a great team of doctors who are keeping him stable while preparing for the 10-part treatment program scheduled to begin on Monday, October 16th. Dustin's condition will leave him with a limited ability to work during the recovery period.

Our family has already spent weeks assisting him and have helped financially to keep things together for the time being. The suffering he is going through as a result of this devastating disease is heartbreaking beyond words to witness.

So, we are reaching out on his behalf. Any support, no matter how big or small will make a

huge difference. Dustin is a positive person who loves and misses all of his friends & family, playing music, surfing, watching soccer and living a healthy lifestyle. We’re hopeful that with

the continued support, he can return to a normal way of life after the treatment is completed. We’re confident that many people will be willing to help him get through this very difficult

and challenging time and we hope that this fundraiser will help him avoid financial crisis,

as the medical fees continue to add up.

Thank you for anything you can do to help and please share the fundraiser link to help spread the word!

Peace and Love

God Bless