Help Little Alexander Kick Cancer's Butt


*UPDATE ON JANUARY 29th 2018*
*Alexanders 3rd surgery has been completed and he is home recovering. The surgeon removed a golf ball size tumor, most of his mastoid (skull at the base of neck/behind the ear) and nearly ALL of his inner ear structure on his left ear. The damage, once they opened him up, was far worse than the CTscan led him to originally believe. His exact words were “the growth and size of the malignant tissue was that of an 8-10 year old, and what is consistent and what he has experienced on 8-10 year olds.” Had we waited another couple months, the situation would most certainly have been dire. We are grateful for Alexander’s ENT advocating for him and getting the consult with the correct physicians and procedure as quick as possible. The next step is an exploratory surgery in 3-6 months to ensure he doesn’t have anymore growth. Once that is verified, titanium prosthetic bones will be placed in leu of what was destroyed and removed. As always, we are very grateful for everyone’s continued support and kindness.*


On September 22nd, four year old Alexander was diagnosed with a simple ear infection.  After two rounds of antibiotics and zero improvement,  Alex and I took him to our family doctor around October 15th, and the doctor told us we needed to see an ENT.   

On October 21st,  we went to the ENT and the doctor suggested surgery to remove "reactive tissue" that he had found, and to also repair the resulting damage to his ear drum.  Waiting patiently just outside the OR on October 26th, all of Alexanders parents and step-parents were eager to hear that everything went smoothly.  The doctor came out of the OR and into the waiting room and told us the bad news. He removed what he could, but the reactive tissue was much larger than he had anticipated and had created its own pockets and voids within his ear. According to the ENT, we needed additional specialists and a CTScan to assess how much damage has been done. 

After many tests, he was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and (NPC) and auditory canal cholesteatoma (EACC) on November 26th. The damage to his inner ear structure has been occuring (according to our ENT) since birth.   An estimated 90% of his inner-ear structure, including all of the fine bones that help with hearing, balance and the function of facial muscles, were completely eaten away.  

The next step in this matter is an appointment with a neurologist, as this diagnosis can make it's way into his brain and wreak-havoc on his Central Nervous System, which has a high fatality rate.  The CT is promising however, as it does not seem like it has reached that far. 

Following this, he has a very long and grueling surgery (his 3rd in 2 months) in which they will remove all of the reactive tissue and rebuild his inner ear to the best of their abilities.  This includes the "fine bones" I mentioned earlier- as one wrong thing could throw his equilibrium off the rest of his life which would, in and of itself, have a host of issues from never being able to drive a vehicle (get a license) to chronic nausea and migraines.

Despite the seemingly increasing bad news, all of us remain hopeful and believe that he will recover and continue to grow into the amazing young man we know him to be.  

The purpose of this GoFundMe is to help offset a litany of medical bills that have occured, and the ones to follow.  Alexander has health insurance, but that only covers up to 70% of the total cost. At this time, it’s hard to estimate how much we will need to come up with on our own. We will update the goal as things progress. 
 
Thank you for taking time out of your day to read  this, and for donating to Alexander. No words can express how deeply appreciative we are for all of the love and support we have received during this time. Even if you cannot donate, your words of encouragement mean so much to us. 

Sincerely,


Alex & Cassie; Tiffany & Chris