UPDATED 12-4

My name is Xander. I’m a sophomore at WHS.

In May, my dad was diagnosed with cancer. In July, he had a radical neck dissection where more than 30 lymph nodes were removed, many of them cancerous. Even after the surgery, the cancer didn’t stop.

He kept going through treatment, even with constant nausea, cylindrical vomiting syndrome, and days where just standing took everything he had.

Then things got worse.

In September, treatment caused severe liver damage and his liver was close to shutting down. Not long after that, his body crashed and he was hospitalized for adrenal failure, another life-threatening complication from treatment.

Around that same time, he developed pneumonitis, a painful inflammation of the lungs that made breathing hard and even talking exhausting. That lasted through September and October, and it still isn’t fully resolved.

Then we got the hardest news.

Four weeks ago, doctors discovered the cancer had spread to his brain. He now has three brain tumors. Two weeks ago, he began radiation treatment to try to slow/stop them.

My dad has raised me on his own since I was 7 years old. He has been my parent, my stability, my role model, and the person who never stopped fighting for me, even when life gave him every reason to quit.

Now he’s fighting to stay alive.

We’re asking for help with medical bills, treatment costs, travel for care, and the reality of surviving while he goes through all of this. Any support, even just sharing this page, truly makes a difference.