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Hi, everyone! For some of you this may sound familiar, but in 2018 I had a cancer scare when doctors found an 11 inch tumor in my left tibia. Fast forward through three bone biopsies, an open surgery, and the removal of a large portion of my tibia (replaced by a 7 inch metal plate), doctors were unable to positively diagnose the tumor and the multitude of tissue samples were described as fibrotic, but benign.
Following my initial surgery, I spent 2 years in physical therapy to get back to my active lifestyle. I followed doctor recommended medical checkups every six months with no additional findings. Then in May 2020 during a regular checkup, an x-ray showed that 3 screws had broken and the metal plate was pulling away from the bone. My surgeon recommended to remove the plate and monitor how the bone does on its own. I had surgery May 15th to remove the plate and felt great – I even got to keep the metal plate as a consolation prize/paper weight.
As a routine follow-up after my surgery, I went in for an MRI to see how the bone was healing in late June 2020. Following the MRI, things started to move really quickly. The MRI showed that the lesion in my bone had grown and had infiltrated into the surrounding muscle. My surgeon immediately performed a muscle tissue biopsy and I found out two weeks later that the mass in my leg is diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). DLBCL is an aggressive cancer, but I am fortunate that it was caught early on at Stage 1, and the mass has stayed localized to my left leg. The even better news is that DLBCL is 100% treatable and has a very high success rate of being cured. However, the treatment will require 6 cycles of R-CHOP chemotherapy followed by 1 month of daily radiation, which will take approximately 6 months to complete. My first cycle of chemotherapy was infused July 24th, only 5 more infusions to go!
My family and friends have surrounded me with love and support. They have even coordinated a schedule so that someone will stay with me throughout treatment to help cook, clean, and take me to appointments.
I created this fundraiser to ask for financial support to help cover the many costs cancer treatment, including medical expenses, lost wages, living expenses, and comfort items. I have accrued over $6,000 in medical bills for surgery, MRIs, PET-CT scans, oncology and chemotherapy appointments to date. During treatment I will be on short-term disability which allows me to keep my medical insurance, but will reduce my salary to 60% for the next 6 months. Living in Silicon Valley, 60% of my salary will only cover my rent each month. Money generated from these funds will also go toward expenses for groceries, cleaning products, masks, gloves, etc. for me and my caretakers. For comfort during treatment, I have purchased soft, comfortable clothing and head coverings, and I'm in the market for a cute wig, which is apparently quite expensive and may cost $500-$2,000.
The next 6 months are going to be rough, but I'm grateful that I finally have a diagnosis and treatment plan for my tibial tumor. I can’t wait to put this all behind me and move on to bigger in better things in a healthy life!
Thank you all for your kindness, generosity, and continued support. Unfortunately, because of COVID, I will not be able to have any visitors while immunocompromised. Please feel free to send a message with good vibes, I will be needing it!
Following my initial surgery, I spent 2 years in physical therapy to get back to my active lifestyle. I followed doctor recommended medical checkups every six months with no additional findings. Then in May 2020 during a regular checkup, an x-ray showed that 3 screws had broken and the metal plate was pulling away from the bone. My surgeon recommended to remove the plate and monitor how the bone does on its own. I had surgery May 15th to remove the plate and felt great – I even got to keep the metal plate as a consolation prize/paper weight.
As a routine follow-up after my surgery, I went in for an MRI to see how the bone was healing in late June 2020. Following the MRI, things started to move really quickly. The MRI showed that the lesion in my bone had grown and had infiltrated into the surrounding muscle. My surgeon immediately performed a muscle tissue biopsy and I found out two weeks later that the mass in my leg is diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). DLBCL is an aggressive cancer, but I am fortunate that it was caught early on at Stage 1, and the mass has stayed localized to my left leg. The even better news is that DLBCL is 100% treatable and has a very high success rate of being cured. However, the treatment will require 6 cycles of R-CHOP chemotherapy followed by 1 month of daily radiation, which will take approximately 6 months to complete. My first cycle of chemotherapy was infused July 24th, only 5 more infusions to go!
My family and friends have surrounded me with love and support. They have even coordinated a schedule so that someone will stay with me throughout treatment to help cook, clean, and take me to appointments.
I created this fundraiser to ask for financial support to help cover the many costs cancer treatment, including medical expenses, lost wages, living expenses, and comfort items. I have accrued over $6,000 in medical bills for surgery, MRIs, PET-CT scans, oncology and chemotherapy appointments to date. During treatment I will be on short-term disability which allows me to keep my medical insurance, but will reduce my salary to 60% for the next 6 months. Living in Silicon Valley, 60% of my salary will only cover my rent each month. Money generated from these funds will also go toward expenses for groceries, cleaning products, masks, gloves, etc. for me and my caretakers. For comfort during treatment, I have purchased soft, comfortable clothing and head coverings, and I'm in the market for a cute wig, which is apparently quite expensive and may cost $500-$2,000.
The next 6 months are going to be rough, but I'm grateful that I finally have a diagnosis and treatment plan for my tibial tumor. I can’t wait to put this all behind me and move on to bigger in better things in a healthy life!
Thank you all for your kindness, generosity, and continued support. Unfortunately, because of COVID, I will not be able to have any visitors while immunocompromised. Please feel free to send a message with good vibes, I will be needing it!