My 32 year old son Marques (aka DJ Risk One) has been one of the most active and healthy young individuals his whole life. We are all devastated to learn that he was recently diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bladder cancer.

After several weeks of back and stomach discomfort, Marques went to the doctor seeking pain relief. He was transferred to the ER after they determined both his kidneys had failed.  Further testing revealed a large tumor occupying ¼ of his bladder and blocking kidney function. He spent an entire week in the hospital and underwent two invasive surgeries to revive his kidneys and remove part of the tumor for pathology analysis. Unfortunately 7 days later, both kidneys failed again- resulting in 3 more surgeries and another 7 day hospital stay.

The tumor was diagnosed as Adenocarcinoma , an extremely rare and aggressive type of cancer that affects less than 2% of all bladder cancer patients in the US. This type of cancer typcially occurs in 60-70 yr old men, with a list of other contributing factors that don’t apply. Marques’ situation is the rarest of the rare.

He has been referred to one of the top Urologists in the nation at UCSF to have surgery to completely remove and reconstruct his bladder. They will also be removing the prostate and surrounding lymph nodes as this is the only way to guarantee this terrible cancer will never return. This will be a huge surgery with life altering side effects and consequences, but will literally save his life.

Being completely self-employed and unable to work for several months to come, the financial road ahead is uncertain. We are humbly asking for donations to help cover the rapidly growing medical and daily living expenses, and hopefully give Marques a much needed and deserved break in his misfortune. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

Warmly,

Cathy Lewis