Support for Trystan's brain cancer treatment

Hello,

If you’re reading this, thank you for making it this far, and for taking an interest in my story.

I’m Trystan. In April this year I was on holiday with my beautiful fiancé Emma in Colombia, when I had several seizures. We didn’t fancy our chances with an 11hr flight over the Atlantic Ocean, so we ended up in the capable hands of Dr. Alejandro Ramos in Bogota, who identified the culprit: a 4cm brain tumour. We operated the next day; he did an excellent job and fortunately, I retained all my speech and movement. To our shock, it turned out to be cancerous, and I am now receiving treatment through the ever-hardworking NHS.

Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of a small army of dedicated healthcare professionals and researchers worldwide, brain cancer still ranks among the deadliest. There are unique challenges, such as the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB). The BBB is like customs for your brain; good nutrients are allowed to pass through, whereas harmful substances are not. Therefore, many contemporary chemotherapies and cancer treatments cannot reach the brain, contributing to poor survival rates.

The good news is that there are some promising research fields for brain cancer. For example, what many consider the key frontier: immunotherapy. Cancerous cells often bypass our natural defence mechanisms, allowing them to divide uncontrollably under the radar. Immunotherapy aims to train your immune system to recognise harmful tumours, and to trigger an immune response against them.

I am humbly asking please for donations to work with a genetic research clinic in Germany (CeGaT), to build a bespoke vaccine as part of my treatment. They will conduct a deeper analysis of the tumour to identify specific genetic features that will give them the recipe for a vaccine, which will try to engage my immune system in a targeted response against the tumour. After a lot of thought and weeks of research, I think it is worth swallowing my pride, and asking for some help.

The perverse thing about cancer is that it makes you a better person. Emma and I have found reserves of strength we didn’t know existed and are tighter than ever before, it’s given me more empathy towards other people, made me appreciate the small things and in many ways, life has never been so great. So I would like those who decide to donate to consider this an investment. Any kindness and generosity that comes our way will be paid forward to others who need it. Hopefully after we beat back this tumour with this promising treatment.

Thank you, diolch o galon.