Jason’s Journey

Where do I begin? Please bare with me as this is difficult to write & share.....For those of you that may not know, Jason Linta, my husband of 19 years and father of 3 teens has been diagnosed with an aggressive and rare type of orbital cancer called Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma today, December 1, 2017. It’s a rare cancer that grows within the Lacrimal Gland behind the eye.

Here is some of the timeline on how he got to this point. Last year he noticed some visual changes along with some headaches in his right eye. Over time these symptoms seemed to be increasingly getting worse and he began seeing his Primary Care Provider and Optometrist thinking maybe his eye prescription was changing/worsening. Long story short, he went back multiple times & after receiving a change in his eye glass prescription along with multiple prescribed eye drops, nothing was improving. Finally, after months of being on different meds and continuous appointments he knew his body wasn’t feeling right. Between October and early November 2017 he returned again to his providers stating there weren’t any signs of improvement. Finally, he requested a CT scan and that was performed on November 2, 2017 and on November 8, 2017 we received a call saying there was a mass on the scan behind his right eye and he would need to be seen by a specialist. November 17, 2017 he was seen at the Fort Carson Optometry Clinic. The physician there explained he had a large tumor which could or could not be cancerous. Of course we hoped and prayed for the best, that it would be benign (non-cancerous). Due to a delay with the authorization of his insurance, we hoped to see yet another specialist quickly but sadly were not able to get in due to insurance delays. Finally, the off base specialist called and pushed for the authorization and worked him in on Saturday, November 18, 2017. Again, he was informed of the size of the tumor and the Physician said it needed to come out immediately as it was “gigantic” in his words. Finally, this past Tuesday, November 28, 2017, he had the surgery to remove the tumor. We were told by the doctor he was confident this was a benign tumor and once confirmed by the pathologist, life would move forward as normal for him.

Sadly, today we received shocking, numbing and heartbreaking news that the tumor was malignant (cancerous) and he needed to be treated ASAP! It was the size of his thumb in length and twice as wide. Unfortunately, this cancer is so rare there are only 3 highly experienced physicians in the United States to take on this diagnosis. His physician said, “if you were my family member, I would highly recommend the team in Philadelphia!” The other option is Houston. Due to the emergent and unknown care needed, we are asking our friends and family to consider donating to Jason’s Journey in this battle! We won’t know how long he will need to be gone, the exact plan of attack, etc. yet, but will need assistance with travel, hotel, food, and other medical expenses that insurance may not cover.

During this time, I won’t be able to work while I am with Jason on his journey and we will both be away from the kids, out of state for an unknown length of time. If you are able to find it in your heart to help us, we would truly appreciate anything! This is one of the hardest things for me to do. I’m not one to ask for help but I need to put my pride aside and ask for both prayers and donations.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to read our story and share it.

With much love ❤️.....Audrey Linta, Jason Linta & kids!! Please send lots of prayers and positive vibes our way~

P.S. I will update as we find out more about the plan ahead.