Chordoma Cancer Fund for Abbigail Castro

Hello everyone, the cuties you see pictured are my incredible wife and son: Abby and Noah. Shortly before last Christmas, after months (truly, years) of various worsening symptoms, it was discovered that Abby had a tumor at the base of her spine roughly the size of a tennis ball. A biopsy confirmed our fears, it was cancer, a rare type known as a chordoma.

While still reeling from the discovery we wasted no time in talking to doctors to come up with a plan of action. While this type of cancer may be slow growing… it would be fatal if left untreated. It tends to not respond well to regular radiation or chemotherapy. While it has a low chance of metastasizing, there is a more significant risk of recurrence.

Fortunately, the plan that was settled upon by the incredible doctors at UAMS involved a combination of methods, including a newer, more advanced form of radiation called Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) as well as surgery to remove the tumor. There was an initial wave of PBT, followed by a short rest, and then on April 15th my sweet love went into surgery. The surgery was a success, but as a part of that success it was also necessary to remove a few segments of her spine to ensure negative margins and reduce the chance of recurrence...

She is currently bedridden, only able to be on her side or her stomach until she has healed more. She’ll be stuck like this for the next 3-5 weeks, unable to move or leave the bed.

She will be relearning how to walk when she can start getting up. Her right leg was having issues from the cancer even before this surgery.. the cancer was eating away at things as it grew. The surgery left her right leg even worse.. as of now she has a wheelchair, and a walker to help her get around. We’ll see how much her right leg recovers with physical therapy, but she will likely need some kind of assistance with walking long distances forever.

I type this out sitting next to her while she attempts to rest and sleep, ready to help her turn on her side, or get a drink, or whatever she may need. I think it's hitting me harder right now, more than when we initially found out, more than when I walked out of her hospital room for what I thought could've been the last time...

I try not to dwell on those thoughts, because we've been given another chance. The road ahead is by no means easy, there will be many more visits to the doctors, therapy, and there will be consequences from this surgery that we may not fully realize until later on. But we must push forward, we must make the most of whatever time we may have on this planet. Abby has another chance, to go dancing, to go to the park with our adorable little Noah, to spend time with our loved ones, to LIVE...

She is home from the hospital now, and after a healing period of another 3-5 weeks, she will have to go through another wave of proton radiation. Then months of physical therapy.. maybe more.

All things considered, it is with the utmost humility I have created this GoFundMe.

Insurance thankfully covered a lot but we’re still left with many expenses.

Every little bit helps, whether it's contributions or sharing, and we greatly appreciate the continued thoughts, prayers, and other forms of support from all our friends and family. Thank you and God bless you all.

Eternally grateful,

Edgar Castro