With a little help from our friends...

The following was written by my Beautiful Geek on or around August 4th, 2023. It is unedited so that we preserve Trevor's own words.

*There are updates that I will share but I wanted you to start at the beginning.

Hi all, If you don't know me, my name's Trevor. But if you didn't already know that how did you end up here? Well, either way, I need your help. A few weeks ago I was diagnosed with cancer. Buckle up, here's my story...

After a few days of abdomen pain and minor indigestion, I woke up at 4 a.m. not feeling well. I decided it was time to get checked out. I booked an appointment for urgent care later that day. I was seen at urgent care and they told me I should go to the ER where they would most likely do some imaging. At this point, I thought maybe it was an ulcer or something with my gallbladder and proceeded to the ER. After doing a few tests including a CT scan I was told I have two very large masses in my abdomen that are most likely lymphoma. I realized pretty quickly I wasn't going to be able to stand up and mix drinks for ten hours at a time anymore and the only option I had was to quit my job.

Two days later I had an appointment with a local oncologist that ordered a PET scan and a biopsy. The PET scan came just a week after my first diagnosis and the biopsy was a week after that. In the meantime, the cancer was growing fast. It was starting to feel like things in the medical system weren't moving fast enough and the cancer was going to win. I was having more and more trouble eating but the size of my abdomen kept expanding. It was becoming extremely uncomfortable to move but even more uncomfortable to lie down or sit in a chair.

The day after my biopsy the oncologist started to get the first results from the pathologist and it wasn't lymphoma after all. They needed to do more testing and get back to me after the weekend but it was looking like I would need to go somewhere with more expertise for treatment.

The following day was Independence Day. We began to formulate a plan to go to the ER at UCLA in order to bypass any sort of long wait for a referral. The 5th of July would be a much better day to show up in the ER than the 4th. (*This next part I'm super not sure about including*) This was possibly the most difficult day of my life. I walked around my house watering plants, making sure the cat was fed and giving him hugs and kisses. I cried a bit but on the inside I was feeling close to hopeless. I felt like it was the last time I would get to water my plants or hug my cat. I wouldn't be able to cuddle on the couch watching horror movies with my husband. No more morning coffee chats with Dad. The cancer was moving so quick that I thought I was going to die.

With the little hope I had left, I got in the car and we began driving to LA. While we were in the car I got a text from my Oncologist telling me UCLA doesn't take my insurance and the best bet was USC. The problem with USC is they don't have an ER but ER or not, I needed treatment. LA County Hospital is staffed by USC doctors and is across the street from the USC hospital so LA County ER became our new destination.

The LA County ER is not for the faint of heart. There were gunshot wounds and a lot of weird smells. Once I was in a room, my roommate had blown up his eyeball and part of his leg with a half stick of dynamite. I practically had to have a knife fight just to get a pillow. But it paid off. After a couple of days, I was able to get transferred to USC Norris Cancer Center. By this point, I was barely eating but the cancer was still growing like crazy. I had gained 30 Lbs in just three weeks. The day after I arrived I was able to start my first round of chemo. It was rough but mostly I tolerated it well.

After getting back home, the next few days were really rough. I could barely eat anything and my legs were very swollen. I'm bouncing back quick though. My belly started getting smaller almost right away. After a few days of laying around trying to keep my legs elevated to make the swelling go down, I got sick of it and started to push myself to move more. I started doing small exercises and walking a bit. I got the swelling to go almost completely away in just a few days. I'm back close to my normal appetite.

As I type this I'm sitting in a hospital room getting my second round of chemo. They're planning to do one every three weeks for 14 rounds. I have a very long road ahead but luckily I have an amazing bunch of people to support me. My husband Shawn has been wonderful about making sure I'm fed and have a shoulder to cry on when there are tears, and there are a lot of tears. My dad Rob and my sister Meagan have also been amazing. So many other people have offered to help and delivered food. But the bills are starting to pile up.

Luckily I have insurance but my out-of-pocket maximum is $8,500 per year. Most of my medical expenses should be covered for the rest of this year but my treatment is certainly going to go well into next year. Driving to LA every three weeks with Shawn and my Dad and staying in hotels adds up quick. The bills are piling up so it's time to ask for some help in the form of cold hard cash. At first, $25,000 seemed like an insane goal but I'm trying to think about all my medical expenses for this whole treatment as well as hopefully a little bit of money to go toward travel expenses.

I can't work

14 rounds

Out of pocket maximum this year and next. Bills are coming due.

Fast. Huge cancer. two ERs.

Driving to LA

Hotels