At the end of September 2022, Jeremy was diagnosed with bilateral paraganglioma, one of the rarest forms of cancer. Paraganglioma is a neuroendocrine tumor that forms along major blood vessels and nerve pathways in your neck and head that only happens in 2 out of every 1 million people. It was discovered that Jeremy had 5 tumors. Most often paraganglioma isn’t diagnosed until the 30’s due to increased symptoms and is genetic. This cancer has taken a toll on Jeremy. It started with voice change due to paralyzed vocal cord, frequent headaches, weakness to parts of the right side of his body and hearing loss.

On January 12, 2023 Jeremy had his first surgery focusing on his right side. The surgery was to remove tumors from his neck, near his ear and on his brain. During surgery the tumor was removed from his neck and he was given vocal injections to strengthen his paralyzed vocal cord. Cancerous lymph nodes were also removed. 70% of the tumor located near his ear and right ear canal was removed. As doctors attempted to make their way towards the tumor on Jeremy’s brain during the 12th hour of surgery he began to loose a lot of blood and the doctors decided it was best to halt surgery. Jeremy was in a coma for approximately a day following surgery. Once he awakened, he had to learn to breathe on his own and learn to walk and do basic things for himself. One side of his face is weakened and it will take some time to regain strength necessary to function. Anyone that knows Jeremy knows how difficult this is for him because he has a smile that will light up any room. After a week, he was released from the hospital to allow his body time to replenish his blood supply and strengthen his kidneys.

Jeremy’s next surgery scheduled in February and is expected to last at least 12 hours. The surgery will be a difficult one because the turmor is intertwined with his carotid artery, which is blood vessels that supply blood to your brain, face and neck. He will have to once again relearn basics to function normally and there is a chance he may not regain all functionality. After rehabilitation, Jeremy will have to do radiation daily for 6 weeks and then the doctors will devise a plan to deal with tumors on the left side of his body.

As we all know, the cost of being out of work unexpectedly can be a tremendous burden. Please find it in your heart to lighten Jeremy’s load by making a donation that will contribute to the cost of living, transportation to the best doctor’s who specialize in this rare cancer only located at UVA hospital in Charolottesville, VA and offset the cost of medical expenses. Jeremy has had many scans and doctors visits and will have an undetermined number of surgeries in the future. No amount is too little and we understand if you are not able to make a monetary contribution but hope that you will continue to keep Jeremy in your thoughts and prayers.