Help Omar Fight Cancer and Recover

Hi name is Omar Perez and I am 29 years old. I fell while playing a fun game of volleyball in June of this year with my family and friends. After having some pain coming and going, I finally listened to my wife to go to an urgent care to see what was wrong with my knee. From there I was told X-rays showed something weird. I went to my Primary doctor who said the same thing and then referred me to a specialist. During this time the pain kept increasing every day and more frequently. I was scheduled for a biopsy and that triggered more intense pain. This was at the beginning of June, and I started realizing I needed to not use my right leg and to continue to ice it all day. It started to affect me performing my regular job duties, but I continued to work. Some time passed and in July when the pain became unbearable, I was placed on temporary disability because I had to be off my knee completely and have it elevated.

In mid-July, we received a call from the oncologist that he had to send out for further investigation to UCSF. They concluded that it was cancer. He sent out a referral to see who would be able to take my case and not even a day later we received a call from UCSF for a surgeon who was willing to take my case in San Francisco. I was told I needed a full knee replacement. And I was able to get that on July 31st when I underwent an 8 hr surgery. Thankfully everything went well. During this time the only income we had was my wife and she was able to take a leave from work to stay with me at UCSF in San Fransico. After the surgery, I was unable to put any weight for 3 months and needed to keep my leg straight for 6 weeks. Because of all this, we need to leave our house and move in with my in-laws. I was later told what type of cancer I had which is called a malignant giant cell tumor. They stated it is a rare cancer that very few in the country get it. They stated this type of tumor is benign, but I fell into the other category of it being cancerous.

Since the original diagnosis, the cancer was found in a few spots in my lungs and the tumor grew back in my right knee. I am currently undergoing chemotherapy. I get two different types one is for 3 hrs and the other is for 72 hours straight. I am asking for anything that can help us. During this time since we live in Fresno, we would need to book hotels to spend the night when we would need to go for doctor visits and tests. Right now, the only income we have is my wife since I am a federal employee I was not approved for EDD. All funds go to medical bills, medication, and travel costs. We appreciate anything that can help us through this difficult time of our lives. Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Your kindness means the world to us.