Help Tristan with his medical bills
Donation protected
I honestly don't know where or how to start this, I never once thought in my life that I would be here typing up a description as to how I got here in the first place. Yes, it does feel weird to... Essentially, receive people's money, especially from people I don't even know, but. I wouldn't be here if I didn't need the help, quite frankly.
My name is Tristan Rivera, I am a 24 year old PlayaBowls shift leader by day, and a nursing student by night. After a couple weeks of the most random, intermittent symptoms (night sweats, fever, chills, etc), and almost passing out one night, I finally had decided to call my doctor to setup a TeleHealth appointment. I was prescribed a new inhaler, since my normal albuterol wasn't doing a single thing. I thought it was my asthma worsening. On March 9th, I ended up getting a chest XRAY. I went home, thinking nothing of it. My doctor called as soon as I got home, and ordered a STAT CT scan with contrast, and I went right back to that same facility. I was found to have a large amount of fluid around my heart, as well as a 14x12cm mass in the center of my chest. That explains why my inhaler wasn't helping me breathe. I was admitted to the Christiana ER ASAP, as well as into the hospital itself. They immediately told me "These types of masses are usually cancer." The next day, they performed a procedure on me where they drained the pericardial fluid AND got a biopsy of the mass simultaneously. They drained 400mL from around my heart... That is almost an Aquafina water bottle. This returned my heart rate back to normal(ish), from its original 140. As for the biopsy, I had to wait a few days to get some results back. Oh, and, I actually don't really have a voice right now. I haven't really had one for a month or so. I've learned that's because the mass was pushing on not only my lungs and heart, but on a blood vessel/nerve that specifically connected to one of my vocal cords, rendering me semi-voiceless. I have issues drinking fluids because of this, but in recent days it's really gotten better.
Boom. It's pretty solidified at this point... Non-Hodgkin's diffuse large B-Cell Lymphoma. I've learned a lot about this type of cancer, ever since I got out of the hospital on March 17th, but something I learned is that it's very aggressive... Though very treatable. I completed my first round of chemo in the hospital, an interesting 5 days, but I was very happy to come home. As of right now, my next chemo cycle is in a few days. The current plan is 6 cycles, every 3 weeks. Each cycle lasts 5 days in a row, and I get blood work done twice a week to monitor my cell counts, seeing when or if my white blood cells drop to their lowest point. I can't really work or even go in public right now because I could become or already be immunocompromised.
If anyone would like to know how my family and I are holding up, honestly, I'd say we're doing a really great job. I've been really optimistic, and the entire experience has honestly been really interesting as a nursing student. Everything was just so... Sudden. My life was so normal. I nailed it into my head, that it was only an asthma issue and the new inhaler would help. But it was much more. Everyone please, if you feel something is off with your body, try not to stall getting up with your doctor.
Well, that's my story. If you've made it this far, I'd like to thank you so much. To anyone donating, I want you to know I really, really appreciate you. Like seriously.
It can't really be put into words. Okay maybe it can, let me try. I know I've known some of you for years, and some of you for maybe even a few months. Even if we barely talk, just know, I am so grateful for being able to cross paths with each and every one of you. And I really mean that. If you're thinking "Hmmm I wonder if I'm included in that." You are. Don't worry HAHAH. Shoutout to everyone I've ever met, man. I couldn't have been so optimistic about everything without you guys.
Thank you,
Tristan
My name is Tristan Rivera, I am a 24 year old PlayaBowls shift leader by day, and a nursing student by night. After a couple weeks of the most random, intermittent symptoms (night sweats, fever, chills, etc), and almost passing out one night, I finally had decided to call my doctor to setup a TeleHealth appointment. I was prescribed a new inhaler, since my normal albuterol wasn't doing a single thing. I thought it was my asthma worsening. On March 9th, I ended up getting a chest XRAY. I went home, thinking nothing of it. My doctor called as soon as I got home, and ordered a STAT CT scan with contrast, and I went right back to that same facility. I was found to have a large amount of fluid around my heart, as well as a 14x12cm mass in the center of my chest. That explains why my inhaler wasn't helping me breathe. I was admitted to the Christiana ER ASAP, as well as into the hospital itself. They immediately told me "These types of masses are usually cancer." The next day, they performed a procedure on me where they drained the pericardial fluid AND got a biopsy of the mass simultaneously. They drained 400mL from around my heart... That is almost an Aquafina water bottle. This returned my heart rate back to normal(ish), from its original 140. As for the biopsy, I had to wait a few days to get some results back. Oh, and, I actually don't really have a voice right now. I haven't really had one for a month or so. I've learned that's because the mass was pushing on not only my lungs and heart, but on a blood vessel/nerve that specifically connected to one of my vocal cords, rendering me semi-voiceless. I have issues drinking fluids because of this, but in recent days it's really gotten better.
Boom. It's pretty solidified at this point... Non-Hodgkin's diffuse large B-Cell Lymphoma. I've learned a lot about this type of cancer, ever since I got out of the hospital on March 17th, but something I learned is that it's very aggressive... Though very treatable. I completed my first round of chemo in the hospital, an interesting 5 days, but I was very happy to come home. As of right now, my next chemo cycle is in a few days. The current plan is 6 cycles, every 3 weeks. Each cycle lasts 5 days in a row, and I get blood work done twice a week to monitor my cell counts, seeing when or if my white blood cells drop to their lowest point. I can't really work or even go in public right now because I could become or already be immunocompromised.
If anyone would like to know how my family and I are holding up, honestly, I'd say we're doing a really great job. I've been really optimistic, and the entire experience has honestly been really interesting as a nursing student. Everything was just so... Sudden. My life was so normal. I nailed it into my head, that it was only an asthma issue and the new inhaler would help. But it was much more. Everyone please, if you feel something is off with your body, try not to stall getting up with your doctor.
Well, that's my story. If you've made it this far, I'd like to thank you so much. To anyone donating, I want you to know I really, really appreciate you. Like seriously.
It can't really be put into words. Okay maybe it can, let me try. I know I've known some of you for years, and some of you for maybe even a few months. Even if we barely talk, just know, I am so grateful for being able to cross paths with each and every one of you. And I really mean that. If you're thinking "Hmmm I wonder if I'm included in that." You are. Don't worry HAHAH. Shoutout to everyone I've ever met, man. I couldn't have been so optimistic about everything without you guys.
Thank you,
Tristan
Organizer
Tristan Rivera
Organizer
Briar Park, DE