Kaya is a young 25-year-old father, son and family man who just received the scary diagnosis of Testicular Cancer Non-seminomas (pure embryonal carcinoma).  This form of cancer is an overly aggressive form of cancer.

 On the morning of Friday January 22, 2021 Kaya was awoken with severe pain in his scrotum and his back, he went into the ER where an Ultrasound of his pelvic area and his scrotum was performed, the doctors shockingly found a solid mass tumor. They scheduled Kaya for an  appointment with a urologist who recommended immediate surgery.

 Kaya and his family have been residing in South Dakota, though shortly after leaving the ER booked flights to return to California where his health insurance policy is effective, as well as the much needed support of his parents, family and friends. Upon their arrival on Monday January 25th, he went directly to the hospital, where he was admitted and prepped for surgery.  The following morning they removed the one testicle along with the tumor (which was approximately a little smaller than a lime).  It was immediately diagnosed as cancer pending biopsy reports to determine the type as well as what type of treatment would be needed.  The following week the family was notified of the results and the information that it was among worst of the worst forms of Testicular Cancer. Kaya will be starting Chemotherapy within the next week to prevent the spread of this cancer.

 While this diagnosis was shocking for everyone, it explains some of the health issues Kaya has been dealing with for the last 2 years. In 2018 he started having sever nose bleeds and weakness, along with headaches, backaches, stomach pain, bloating, and weight loss. At that time, he was referred to specialist after specialist to include an oncologist, hematologists, nephrologist, rheumatologist, and a gastroenterologist. At the time, they even performed a bone marrow biopsy to check for cancer. While they felt blessed with all the negative results, they were still left wondering what was causing the low blood platelets, as well as the poor kidney, and liver functions. These concerns along with the loss of B12 were the primary area of concern.  Yet, with no apparent answers Kaya continued to live his life, and focus on his goals accepting that he was dealing with unexplainable symptoms and most likely an overlap of an autoimmune disease.

Kaya and his Fiancé Shauncilyn share 3 children, a 10-year-old daughter Audri, 7-year-old son Jax and a 9-month-old son Kavai. In January of 2019, they decided to relocate and pursue an exciting new job opportunity. After COVID-19 hit Kaya became the sole provider for the family, as they decided that Shauncilyn should quit her job to stay home and care for the children. Kaya is a dedicated hard-working provider, and he has been working his current job in addition to starting his own spray foam insulation business. He has been taking on as many side jobs as he could do to provide for their family.

In June of 2020 they were able to purchase their first home and now with the unfortunate circumstances will temporarily be staying here in California to continue with his medical treatment. Kaya’s biggest fear beyond the scope of cancer is being able to provide for his family during the next 3-4 months as he undergoes his chemo treatments and sets his focus on health and healing.

 I have known Kaya since before he was even a thought, his mom is one of my best friends and I know how passionately she wants to fix this for Kaya and his family. I know everyone who knows the Gladu/Dwiggins family will want to help in some way. The best way for us to do that is to take away the financial burden. It is my hope that we can help raise enough money to keep him focused on the road to recovery and for full health. No donation is too small, together we can make a difference right now for this young family. Please Help!