Tristens Glaucoma Valve Implants
Donation protected
Resilience
The year was 1996, six months into the pregnancy my wife April and I were watching an iconic movie of its time named Legends of the Fall. The main character named Tristen (Danish Galic in orgin) whom was coined has having the heart of a bear due to his fight towards adversities in the film. Due to all of the aggressive kicking in the womb, we decided this was a fitting name.
Upon the last month in utero, the physician came and gave news that rocked our world. Our unborn son was diagnosed with a renal condition called hydronephrosis of the uretero-pelvic junction and a mega-ureter and a hutch diverticulum. Post delivery, we would have to find a pediatric urologist that could ascertain the best course of action. The decision to wait and let the organs further develop for the next 5 years was made and we anxiously anticipated the date for surgical intervention.
As his 5th birthday rolled around the year preceding the surgery, 9 procedures involving shunts and catheterizations into his kidney to relieve the buildup occurred along with countless Persantine ultrasounds to see how the plumbing was performing. Finally the “tapering” of the ureter and reimplantation of the ureter into another area of the bladder was performed and his rehabilitation began.
Soccer would take a backseat during that year due to the catheters and shunts in his kidney but for this young boy with the heart of a bear, he would resume soon thereafter.
A brilliant young man that would read 7 books at a time and surprised his teachers in the first grade by reading the newspaper aloud to them, was excelling in life and in sports. He was 7 years old and could juggle a soccer ball 52 times already, when we noticed a limp one day after playing soccer and overnight could not walk. A tweaked muscle or ligament or just a hard knock, he could not answer which it was. Next visit to the “minor emergency”
Xrays revealed a condition called Legg-Calves-Perthes Disease of his right hip. His right hip was permanently dislocated because the head of his femur had died and caused avascular necrosis of it. The search began for a pediatric Orthopedic surgeon that would decide the best route and provide a prognosis to us. He would undergo a femoral osteotomy which cuts the femur in 2 pieces and wedges the head of the femur back into its socket.
For a year this young energetic boy was confined to an electric wheelchair. He met an aspiring young soccer player Freddy Adu that year and this really helped his passion for sport and soccer. His aspiration would achieve great heights during this time.
Again with plates and pins holding it in all in place so that the body could help foster the growth of new tissue onto the head of the femur over the course of a year the process began. Soccer would again take a backseat to this process. A year would pass and the plates and pins were removed from his body and his leg would remain a tad shorter than the other. He called it his special leg.
Never giving up the game of soccer, he progressed as best he could as he learned how to walk and run again after a year off. He juggled and juggled and juggled even more. Eventually reaching over 4000 without dropping the ball. We watched in amazement and supported him unquestionably.
His persistence in the game kept him going as he grew into his body. Upon a routine visit to his eye doctor at the age of 12, some high pressures were revealed and were not categorized quite yet as glaucoma but would require a few more checkups a every year. By 15 he was prescribed glaucoma medications to help decrease the pressures. A daily ritual that would help until his body could would no longer respond to the medication maximum regimen.
His senior year in highschool was unorthodox as he participated in a program for students that were ready to move on earlier than others. He attended college his senior year in highschool in lieu of his highschool and graduated highschool with 30 college hours under his belt due to AP coursework. He was 17 years old and decided to attend Georgia State University after being offered a collegiate varsity scholarship. So spring of his senior year in highschool as friends were enjoying homecoming and the last hoorah, Tristen was a freshman at the University.
Pushing the envelope on the field, the Fall of his senior year, a pain in the leg reared its “ugly head”. It was his meniscus this time. Another surgery and recovery prior to the Universities preseason workout and testing program. He was a surgical veteran by this point in his life. Released to play in December, report to GSU Jan 6. Challenge accepted!
July 4th weekend 2016, age 20-He had come home for the weekend and reported to me that his vision was blurry in the right eye. Another trip to the minor ER over a weekend, only to reveal that we needed to see a specialist. Come Monday, we went to see said specialist and found out through his visual acuity screening that Tristen had suffered 28% vision loss due to damage to the optic nerve in his right eye. It was described as the pie slice from 6 to 9pm.
The physician sent us for emergency catscan and mri at the hospital to rule out tumors and other things. Now the search was on for a glaucoma specialist in the state, and would be referred to the man that had the plan for Tristen. The plan would include immediate SLT Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty of both eyes. The surgery success rate was not 100% but we prayed and were hopeful that this would help reduce his pressures so as to not have any more vision loss. One month went by and the pressures grew. Maxed out on medication therapy, Tristen would be put on oral medications that would waste his body and energy, losing 25 pounds over the course of a month. This was difficult as he was still actively helping his college team at Georgia State University in the pursuit of a conference championship.
Two weeks ago, upon checking of the ever rising pressures, the doctor decided he could not wait any longer and would perform emergency Valve Implants after a few more percent of vision was lost. He has had two Ahmed Glaucoma Valve implantations and is currently recovering at home. He will be returning back to college soon with many hurdles ahead of him. Basic task such as lifting a book bag and riding a bike for the interim will be difficult as he cannot bend down or carry anything more than 2 pounds while his eyes heal.
Eyesight is very hazy and nights are long as his head must stay elevated above his heart.
The medical bills added up very quickly and insurance only covers so much.
His youth career brought him state championship medals and trip to the National championship as he earned a Varsity Scholarship to Georgia State University. Because of his overachieving nature and desire to be successful on and off the field, he is slated to graduate only after 3years with his first degree.
This young mans resilience is unparalled. As his father I wish to give him a positive head start in life that has had so many adversitites. Faith, Hope and Love
Dante Trevino
(dad)
The year was 1996, six months into the pregnancy my wife April and I were watching an iconic movie of its time named Legends of the Fall. The main character named Tristen (Danish Galic in orgin) whom was coined has having the heart of a bear due to his fight towards adversities in the film. Due to all of the aggressive kicking in the womb, we decided this was a fitting name.
Upon the last month in utero, the physician came and gave news that rocked our world. Our unborn son was diagnosed with a renal condition called hydronephrosis of the uretero-pelvic junction and a mega-ureter and a hutch diverticulum. Post delivery, we would have to find a pediatric urologist that could ascertain the best course of action. The decision to wait and let the organs further develop for the next 5 years was made and we anxiously anticipated the date for surgical intervention.
As his 5th birthday rolled around the year preceding the surgery, 9 procedures involving shunts and catheterizations into his kidney to relieve the buildup occurred along with countless Persantine ultrasounds to see how the plumbing was performing. Finally the “tapering” of the ureter and reimplantation of the ureter into another area of the bladder was performed and his rehabilitation began.
Soccer would take a backseat during that year due to the catheters and shunts in his kidney but for this young boy with the heart of a bear, he would resume soon thereafter.
A brilliant young man that would read 7 books at a time and surprised his teachers in the first grade by reading the newspaper aloud to them, was excelling in life and in sports. He was 7 years old and could juggle a soccer ball 52 times already, when we noticed a limp one day after playing soccer and overnight could not walk. A tweaked muscle or ligament or just a hard knock, he could not answer which it was. Next visit to the “minor emergency”
Xrays revealed a condition called Legg-Calves-Perthes Disease of his right hip. His right hip was permanently dislocated because the head of his femur had died and caused avascular necrosis of it. The search began for a pediatric Orthopedic surgeon that would decide the best route and provide a prognosis to us. He would undergo a femoral osteotomy which cuts the femur in 2 pieces and wedges the head of the femur back into its socket.
For a year this young energetic boy was confined to an electric wheelchair. He met an aspiring young soccer player Freddy Adu that year and this really helped his passion for sport and soccer. His aspiration would achieve great heights during this time.
Again with plates and pins holding it in all in place so that the body could help foster the growth of new tissue onto the head of the femur over the course of a year the process began. Soccer would again take a backseat to this process. A year would pass and the plates and pins were removed from his body and his leg would remain a tad shorter than the other. He called it his special leg.
Never giving up the game of soccer, he progressed as best he could as he learned how to walk and run again after a year off. He juggled and juggled and juggled even more. Eventually reaching over 4000 without dropping the ball. We watched in amazement and supported him unquestionably.
His persistence in the game kept him going as he grew into his body. Upon a routine visit to his eye doctor at the age of 12, some high pressures were revealed and were not categorized quite yet as glaucoma but would require a few more checkups a every year. By 15 he was prescribed glaucoma medications to help decrease the pressures. A daily ritual that would help until his body could would no longer respond to the medication maximum regimen.
His senior year in highschool was unorthodox as he participated in a program for students that were ready to move on earlier than others. He attended college his senior year in highschool in lieu of his highschool and graduated highschool with 30 college hours under his belt due to AP coursework. He was 17 years old and decided to attend Georgia State University after being offered a collegiate varsity scholarship. So spring of his senior year in highschool as friends were enjoying homecoming and the last hoorah, Tristen was a freshman at the University.
Pushing the envelope on the field, the Fall of his senior year, a pain in the leg reared its “ugly head”. It was his meniscus this time. Another surgery and recovery prior to the Universities preseason workout and testing program. He was a surgical veteran by this point in his life. Released to play in December, report to GSU Jan 6. Challenge accepted!
July 4th weekend 2016, age 20-He had come home for the weekend and reported to me that his vision was blurry in the right eye. Another trip to the minor ER over a weekend, only to reveal that we needed to see a specialist. Come Monday, we went to see said specialist and found out through his visual acuity screening that Tristen had suffered 28% vision loss due to damage to the optic nerve in his right eye. It was described as the pie slice from 6 to 9pm.
The physician sent us for emergency catscan and mri at the hospital to rule out tumors and other things. Now the search was on for a glaucoma specialist in the state, and would be referred to the man that had the plan for Tristen. The plan would include immediate SLT Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty of both eyes. The surgery success rate was not 100% but we prayed and were hopeful that this would help reduce his pressures so as to not have any more vision loss. One month went by and the pressures grew. Maxed out on medication therapy, Tristen would be put on oral medications that would waste his body and energy, losing 25 pounds over the course of a month. This was difficult as he was still actively helping his college team at Georgia State University in the pursuit of a conference championship.
Two weeks ago, upon checking of the ever rising pressures, the doctor decided he could not wait any longer and would perform emergency Valve Implants after a few more percent of vision was lost. He has had two Ahmed Glaucoma Valve implantations and is currently recovering at home. He will be returning back to college soon with many hurdles ahead of him. Basic task such as lifting a book bag and riding a bike for the interim will be difficult as he cannot bend down or carry anything more than 2 pounds while his eyes heal.
Eyesight is very hazy and nights are long as his head must stay elevated above his heart.
The medical bills added up very quickly and insurance only covers so much.
His youth career brought him state championship medals and trip to the National championship as he earned a Varsity Scholarship to Georgia State University. Because of his overachieving nature and desire to be successful on and off the field, he is slated to graduate only after 3years with his first degree.
This young mans resilience is unparalled. As his father I wish to give him a positive head start in life that has had so many adversitites. Faith, Hope and Love
Dante Trevino
(dad)
Organizer and beneficiary
Tristen Trevino
Organizer
Athens, GA
Tristen Trevino
Beneficiary