17-YEAR OLD WITH TESTICULAR CANCER
Donation protected
When Jaden (who is only 17 years old) first went to the doctor about the pain in his groin, he was shocked to be diagnosed with Stage I testicular cancer. Jaden braved the surgery to remove his affected testicle and he was fitted with a prosthesis. He thought he was on the road to recovery; however, a month later doctors informed him that his cancer had spread to his retroperitoneal lymph nodes and had progressed to Stage II. Worse yet, within a week Jaden was admitted to the emergency room with severe pain throughout his lower back. During the ER visit, a CT scan revealed his cancer had spread to his lungs upgrading his diagnosis to Stage III testicular cancer. Doctors said he needed to begin chemotherapy immediately, and because chemotherapy would likely result in infertility (along with future surgeries, if the chemotherapy doesn’t work), he also had to bank his sperm.
Jaden deposited his sperm and was hospitalized for one week and began chemotherapy in August. He will have four rounds of chemotherapy. Only when his chemotherapy ends in November, will his family know if this treatment eradicated the cancer. If it doesn’t, Jaden will need to have a series of surgeries to remove the tumors.
Jaden is insured; however, there are many additional expenses such as co-pays, sperm banking, travel to specialists, and medications that are not covered. In addition, he has been unable to work during this time, and thus, hasn’t been able to continue contributing towards his education.
Jaden has a promising future ahead of him. He recently graduated from high school and was accepted to Santa Monica College where he plans to study Political Science and then transfer to UCLA to study International Relations and Comparative Politics. All he wants to do is get better and get back to being a productive member of society. Through his ordeal he has realized the monumental importance of universal health care, and aims to do his part to improve our health care system by starting a career in politics. With your help, he can recover, go to college in spring, and help to fight for health coverage for everyone in need.
Jaden deposited his sperm and was hospitalized for one week and began chemotherapy in August. He will have four rounds of chemotherapy. Only when his chemotherapy ends in November, will his family know if this treatment eradicated the cancer. If it doesn’t, Jaden will need to have a series of surgeries to remove the tumors.
Jaden is insured; however, there are many additional expenses such as co-pays, sperm banking, travel to specialists, and medications that are not covered. In addition, he has been unable to work during this time, and thus, hasn’t been able to continue contributing towards his education.
Jaden has a promising future ahead of him. He recently graduated from high school and was accepted to Santa Monica College where he plans to study Political Science and then transfer to UCLA to study International Relations and Comparative Politics. All he wants to do is get better and get back to being a productive member of society. Through his ordeal he has realized the monumental importance of universal health care, and aims to do his part to improve our health care system by starting a career in politics. With your help, he can recover, go to college in spring, and help to fight for health coverage for everyone in need.
Organizer and beneficiary
Roseann Giarrusso
Organizer
Simi Valley, CA
Charity Perry
Beneficiary
