Donate to Chris Burns' Cancer Recovery Journey

The Burns family has not asked for help, but like many others I feel compelled to support Chris in his time of need. My cousin has recently been diagnosed with blood cancer and is currently at Hoag Hospital embarking on his healing journey.

In September Chris started experiencing lower back pain which did not seem to be alarming. He also noticed a lack of appetite but had no reason to believe that either of these symptoms were related.

Intolerable pain and lack of mobility led him to the Emergency Room on 10/8 where they identified that his kidneys were failing and that he had pathologic fractures in his vertebrae and ribs. (A pathologic fracture is a bone fracture caused by normal use of the body due to weakness of the bone structure). He was admitted to the hospital and shortly after they confirmed a diagnosis of multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer which white blood cells (plasma cells) grow uncontrollably in the bone marrow and undermine the overall bone structure.

We now know that Chris was experiencing what is referred to as “bone pain,” the most common symptom of myeloma. The pain is usually located in the lumbar region, pelvis, and ribs. It results from bone infiltration, destruction, and the formation of tiny fractures. During bone destruction large amounts of calcium are released into the blood which causes a lack of appetite and severely stresses kidney function.

While at Hoag, Chris endured a couple of very scary moments, but the doctors were able to get him back to a stable state. Chris is unfortunately still in an immense amount of pain and struggling a bit with breathing, but his blood pressure is back to normal, and his kidneys are showing great improvement. Chris started chemo yesterday and has a long road of treatment and rehabilitation ahead of him. Despite everything that has transpired, in typical Chris fashion, he is in great spirits, cracking jokes and smiling.

He meets with an oncologist later this month where we all hope to get more detailed information about his condition and a clearer picture of his path forward.

Right now, it’s all about keeping Chris stable so he can get his strength back to fight this. I want to keep him focused on healing and his spirits positive, so I am reaching out to the many that know and love this wonderful person to help him mitigate these unforeseen medical costs. All donations received will go directly to Chris to aid him as he battles this disease.

Thank you so much for your support.

Love,

Courtney