Help Oswaldo fight Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hi, my name is Andreina and I have started this page for my father Oswaldo Prieto. Our hope is to get help and support from friends, family and our community to help him fight this sudden and recently diagnosed liver cancer.

I am representing not only my father Oswaldo but our entire family. My mother, his wife and the love of his life for 46 years Soemi, my brother Dario, my sister Adriana, my sister in law and sons in law, his granddaughters Brianna, Lilianna and Kianna. And many more that whether by blood or strong bond are in fact family.

On Monday, September 25th, after a week of waiting to learn the results of his biopsy, my Dad received the news that we all feared when he was told along with my mother and sister that he had a very large cancerous tumor in his liver. It was diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma.

He had been experiencing pain and swelling on his side for weeks prior to the diagnosis. He lives in Venezuela, where healthcare is not only extremely expensive but good and adequate health care is difficult and almost impossible to find. After being misdiagnosed with possible kidney infection, his symptoms became worse. Several tests later, CT scans, MRI scans, blood work and finally a biopsy, he received an accurate diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The devastation. The feeling of hopelessness. The reality of what those few words meant for my father and all of us that love him and can not imagine a world where we have to live without him, was made painstakingly worse when he was told that he would need a liver transplant. But, due to the conditions of the health care system in Venezuela, this would be impossible for doctors to perform due to lack of training, equipment and knowledge on how to treat him, even IF this was an option. The only answer left is to perform a Chemoembolization within the next 3 weeks, without this procedure they worry his time may be as short as six months to a year.

During a chemoembolization, three chemotherapy drugs are injected into the artery that supplies blood to the tumor in the liver to prevent it from spreading to the lymph nodes and other organs. This first part of the procedure costs $14, 601.15 which has to be paid up front. We will then wait 6 weeks and my dad will have more testing to check the state of the liver after the chemoembolization and then have the cancerous tumor surgically removed.

Our family has come together to support my Dad as much as possible during this unimaginable time. We have been putting our resources together to help with this enormous medical bill. Those of us that are far away from him and live here in the United States feel hopeless. But thankfully, my Mom Soemi, along with my youngest sister Adriana and her husband Fidel are doing everything in their power to keep him comfortable and take care of him.

This procedure is the beginning of a long battle. But he can only fight this battle with your help. No amount is too small, $5 or $10 can go a long way in a combined effort to help raise the funds needed for his fight against cancer.

Thank you for taking the time to read about my strong, kind, loving and giving father Oswaldo. Your kindness and help are immensely appreciated beyond words. Our hope is to touch your heart the way my father Oswaldo has touched our hearts over and over again and with your help will continue to do so for much longer.