Steven's Fight Against Lymphoma
Donation protected
Our 27 year old son, Steven Najar was diagnosed with lymphoma on January 19, 2016.
Steven will need assistance keeping up with his medical copays & monthly bills. He knows that his friends & family are there to support him, but he doesn't want to be a financial burden on anyone. In talking with other survivors, he may not be able to return to work for a year to 18 months. Our hope is that he will be able to overcome this obstacle and rejoin the workforce once he has fully recovered. We're just not sure how long that will take at this point.
Initially, we brought him into the med center in August 2015 with a painful lump under his right armpit. That doctor sent us to his primary care physician, who said "this is probably an infection, take some antibiotics". Steven went back into the doctor in October with the lump getting bigger and more painful. Doctor gave him a 15 day round of antibiotics. In November, his doctor decided we should go see a surgeon. In December, the surgeon said "we should really get an ultrasound". In January 2016, the ultrasound was completed and the next day a biopsy was done. Steven's PCP called him at 8:30PM on a Friday night to tell him he had lymphnode cancer.
Immediately, we went to work finding him a cancer doctor and couldn't get an appointment until February 4, 2016. So, we had to wait a couple of weeks, sitting on pins & needles not knowing what our next steps would be. Dr. Polavaram (his hematolotist) called Steven on February 2 asking him why he wasn't in the hospital yet. Steven said "No one told me to go there." Apparently, the final pathology report revealed a very rare form of lymphoma. It affects less than 1% of lymphoma patients and is the fastest growing human tumor. Steven was admitted to Lettinga Cancer Center on February 3. The PET scan the next day revealed that there were tumors in his neck and stomach as well as the one we knew of under his arm.
Following the surgical implant of his port and a bone marrow biopsy, Steven began the first "Type A" round of chemo and lumbar punctures on Sunday, February 7.
For the next few months or more, Steven will be unable to work as Dr. Polavaram explained he will be in the hospital more than out of the hospital. He is scheduled to begin the 2nd round of chemo "Type B" with additional lumbar punctures on Thursday, March 10. At this point, we know he will need another "Type A" round and another "Type B" round with the possibility of radiation after that.
Out for dinner after round 1!
We ask for your prayers that Steven will be strong & courageous through the grueling treatments because as aggressively as this cancer grows, the treatment must also be aggressive to kill the bad cells. We trust that Steven's future is in God's hands.
Thank you so much! We appreciate all of our family, friends and community that have come to stand by our side through this challenge. We are amazed at the outpouring of love towards Steven, Sarah, Camel, Linda and the rest of our extended family.
Steven will need assistance keeping up with his medical copays & monthly bills. He knows that his friends & family are there to support him, but he doesn't want to be a financial burden on anyone. In talking with other survivors, he may not be able to return to work for a year to 18 months. Our hope is that he will be able to overcome this obstacle and rejoin the workforce once he has fully recovered. We're just not sure how long that will take at this point.
Initially, we brought him into the med center in August 2015 with a painful lump under his right armpit. That doctor sent us to his primary care physician, who said "this is probably an infection, take some antibiotics". Steven went back into the doctor in October with the lump getting bigger and more painful. Doctor gave him a 15 day round of antibiotics. In November, his doctor decided we should go see a surgeon. In December, the surgeon said "we should really get an ultrasound". In January 2016, the ultrasound was completed and the next day a biopsy was done. Steven's PCP called him at 8:30PM on a Friday night to tell him he had lymphnode cancer.
Immediately, we went to work finding him a cancer doctor and couldn't get an appointment until February 4, 2016. So, we had to wait a couple of weeks, sitting on pins & needles not knowing what our next steps would be. Dr. Polavaram (his hematolotist) called Steven on February 2 asking him why he wasn't in the hospital yet. Steven said "No one told me to go there." Apparently, the final pathology report revealed a very rare form of lymphoma. It affects less than 1% of lymphoma patients and is the fastest growing human tumor. Steven was admitted to Lettinga Cancer Center on February 3. The PET scan the next day revealed that there were tumors in his neck and stomach as well as the one we knew of under his arm.
Following the surgical implant of his port and a bone marrow biopsy, Steven began the first "Type A" round of chemo and lumbar punctures on Sunday, February 7.
For the next few months or more, Steven will be unable to work as Dr. Polavaram explained he will be in the hospital more than out of the hospital. He is scheduled to begin the 2nd round of chemo "Type B" with additional lumbar punctures on Thursday, March 10. At this point, we know he will need another "Type A" round and another "Type B" round with the possibility of radiation after that.
Out for dinner after round 1!
We ask for your prayers that Steven will be strong & courageous through the grueling treatments because as aggressively as this cancer grows, the treatment must also be aggressive to kill the bad cells. We trust that Steven's future is in God's hands.
Thank you so much! We appreciate all of our family, friends and community that have come to stand by our side through this challenge. We are amazed at the outpouring of love towards Steven, Sarah, Camel, Linda and the rest of our extended family.
Organizer and beneficiary
Linda Vander Weide Najar
Organizer
Grand Rapids, MI
Steven Najar
Beneficiary