Help Alex Have A Stress Free Recovery

Hello, my name is Shannon Chaplin and I am creating this fundraiser for my brother in law Alex. We are attempting to raise some funds for him to hopefully have a stress free recovery and not have to worry as much about all the medical bills he is incurring and will have in the near future, in addition to affording his monthly expenses due to being out of work during his recovery.

Below is a brief explanation of what Alex is going through from his mother, Angela.

Alex has a hereditary thyroid cancer. He had his thyroid and the cancer removed when he was two and a half. Everything seemed to be stable until last year when he developed a high heart rate, high blood pressure and increased anxiety. When he developed pain in his left arm and shortness of breath his thyroid doctor sent him to a cardiologist.

They did several tests including a cardiac catheterization and an echo which revealed cardiomyopathy (heart failure). When the thyroid doctor received the results from the cardiologist, she ran some more tests which revealed even worse news. There is a second part to the hereditary thyroid disease called pheochromocytoma, which is when tumors grow on the adrenal glands. The tumors then cause increased heart rate, high blood pressure, anxiety and heart failure. Once you develop pheochromocytoma the body keeps developing tumors even after they are removed and future surgeries are inevitable. If they grow on other organs they are considered cancerous.

Alex had three spots show up on his liver from his CT scan and a special MIBG scan so he met with a specialist at Moffitt Cancer Center and she is sending him for a PET scan that will tell us if they are PHEO tumors. If they are, they will put a treatment plan in place for him.

Alex recently had the left adrenal tumor removed on October 4th, 2023 and he is scheduled to have the right adrenal tumor removed on November 15th, 2023. Alex has been put on medication to keep his blood pressure down, however his heart rate is still elevated and that may or may not improve with the removal of the right adrenal tumor.

Alex is taking one day at a time and trying to stay positive. Any amount of help would be greatly appreciated.

God bless you all.