Help our friend Joey's 12 year long battle with Cancer

Joe's Journey

Hi, my name is Lindsay and I wanted to share my friend Joe’s incredible story with you. 12 years ago, at the age of 33, Joe was diagnosed with testicular cancer and his whole life was turned upside down over night. The cancer spread to his stomach, and after a few surgeries and many rounds of chemotherapy, he beat the odds and came out cancer free. Several years later though, the cancer has come back and has reclaimed him. Today he is fighting for his life, his world on hold as he has just had to move to Los Angeles to seek a new treatment that may save him. Please help him find a cure so he can get back to being the kind fun loving heart full and hopeful friend he has always been to so many. I am also hoping to raise awareness about the struggles young people face with cancer. He has been admitted into a cutting-edge trial across the country in Los Angeles by TORL Biotherapeutics but the out-of-pocket medical expenses are not covered by insurance and he will need to be in LA for months and maybe up to two years of not being able to work, living in a city far from home and his network.

 

The exciting and hopeful news is the trial is trying to solve for Joe’s 3rd time reoccurrence of cancer with metastasis, but the goal of the trial is to find a new class of drugs that will treat a broad variety of cancer types using antibody drug conjugated which in simple terms allows precision targeted cancer fighting/killing agents to be delivered directly to the malignant cells/tumors without burdening the rest pf the body like traditional chemotherapy. Minimal side effects maximum cancer destruction is the goal and there have been numerous published medical journal articles showing the efficacy and promise. So, a trial would pave the way for this to help the enormous number of people suffering from cancer in a new and broad way.

 

Too often, the unique challenges that adolescents and young adults encounter during their battle with cancer are overlooked. These individuals not only confront the physical and emotional toll of the disease but also grapple with issues like strained social relationships, and the uncertainty of their future. By shedding light on their experiences and needs, we can advocate for better resources, tailored support systems, and increased research funding aimed at improving outcomes and quality of life for young cancer patients. Together, we can empower these resilient individuals and ensure they receive the care and compassion they deserve on their journey to recovery.