Donate to Anthony's Journey to Full Recovery

On June 25th, 2024, Anthony was admitted to Lowell General Hospital due to an ulcer in his stomach that was bleeding and needed repair. An endoscopy was completed where they clipped and cauterized the bleed and Anthony was admitted overnight for observations. In the morning, Anthony was prepared for discharge but after eating some food, he began vomiting blood and it was determined that he was still hemorrhaging. Anthony was then given a blood transfusion and was carted off to receive a CT scan before being admitted to the ICU where he remained for several days.

The CT scan revealed that Anthony was still bleeding in his stomach and would require a procedure where they placed coils in his arteries to stop the bleeding. This procedure was initially thought to be successful, but through the following night and day, Anthony continued to hemorrhage blood. A second procedure was required where Anthony remained under for upwards of two hours to fix all of the blood vessels in his stomach. While Anthony was under, his family was notified that a second CT scan found a mass in his stomach that would require further investigation. Following the second procedure, Anthony slowly healed and was moved from ICU to a regular hospital room and was finally discharged on July 3rd.

Given that Anthony had a mass in his stomach, he required additional imaging and a biopsy of the mass. Imaging and a biopsy determined that Anthony had a GIST (gastrointestinal stromal tumor) of the duodenum, which is a form of cancer on the lower part of his stomach. On August 19th, Anthony had a pancreaticduodenectomy (whipple procedure) where his surgeon removed the tumor, his gallbladder, part of his pancreas, the duodenum of his stomach, and a portion of his digestive tract. Anthony has since been discharged and is at home recovering, but has a long road ahead of him.

Test results did determine that Anthony's tumor was cancerous and will potentially require additional treatment and follow-up with an oncologist.

As a result of the last several months of illness, procedures, and recoveries, Anthony has been unable to work. A week before his initial hospitalization, he had started a new landscaping job with a local company that he has not been able to return to, and it will likely be upwards of 6 weeks before Anthony can return to any kind of work. Unfortunately, the bills and monthly rent continue to pile up as the days pass. We are hoping to raise some money to help Anthony ensure his bills are covered so that he can focus on healing and working towards a full recovery. Please consider donating and sharing, any little bit helps.