Help Sebastian Face Testicular Cancer A 2nd Time

My name is Caitlin, and my partner, Sebastian, has been diagnosed with testicular cancer... again.

When we first started dating in 2020, he was less than a year removed from surgery to treat his cancer.

He told me back then about all of the difficulties this diagnosis brought with it - anxiety, depression, body-image issues, uncertainty about his ability to become a father, concerns about his singing career, not to mention the huge financial burden. He was uninsured at the time and had just turned 26.

It took him a long time to learn how to sing at a high level again. He's a professional opera singer and voice teacher. The surgery had significantly weakened his abdominal muscles, and he had to develop an entirely new technique, one that he’s just now mastering after years of work. As the arts have finally begun to rebound post-pandemic, he has been so vibrant and excited to resume chasing his dream, which was halted by cancer and then covid.

Last Monday, time seemed to stop again, when his oncologist found a mass in his remaining testicle. This is incredibly rare and devastating. And we find ourselves in need of much more than we and our families can hope to provide.

One of the first things I noticed about Sebastian is that his priority is always the comfort of others.

He's the kind of person who will drop everything to be there for someone who needs him, and is blessed with this supernatural knack for knowing exactly what people need to hear. Over the past three years, he's supported me tirelessly through every hardship, and comforted me in my most hopeless hours, all while taking on his own struggles in stride and with a smile on his face.

The flip-side of this is that he’s hesitant to reach out when he needs support.

He doesn't want to bring anyone down, or make them feel uncomfortable. He doesn't want to inconvenience anyone by asking for help. As a performer, he's great at appearing like he’s doing just fine. He copes using humor and is still very much the life of the party, even while sharing this terrible news with our inner circle. Many friends have told him he's an inspiration because of his positive attitude towards these terrible circumstances.

But the truth is he is really struggling. I’m witnessing firsthand the devastation to his heart and spirit, and the many levels of pain and stress he's shouldering.

Many of you are familiar with the crushing helplessness you feel when someone you love is in pain, and there's nothing you can do to take it away.

The one thing I CAN do is create this campaign on Sebastian’s behalf, to offer the world a chance to hold him when he needs it most.

Unfortunately, cancer itself is only one part of this upheaval of our lives.

Sebastian is still paying off his medical debt from the first time he had cancer. Fertility preservation (as his last testicle will be removed) is an option, albeit an incredibly expensive one. And having to weigh going into more debt against preserving the possibility of having children is a stress I wouldn't wish on anyone.

We are in need of money to pay for:

We’ve done the math and just to survive the next three months, we’ll need to accumulate over $18,000.

Raising our full goal of $21,000 would ensure that our family can take the time and space we need to face this crisis and plan a pivot towards a brighter future. Any additional funds reached beyond our goal will go towards paying off Sebastian's remaining medical debt and offer him a chance to get his life back on track and consider how best to move forward with his career and aspirations.

Every bit of help is appreciated, whether it be donating if you can, or sharing this story.

If you have Amazon Prime, you can subscribe to Sebastian’s Twitch channel for free, which sends us about $5 (https://www.twitch.tv/whynotsebastian) - here’s a short video on how to activate Twitch Prime: https://youtu.be/TV7z3NHsY2A?si=KFTI_Ndl5cts7xG6&t=31

Thank you so much for reading our story, and for supporting us through this incredibly difficult time.

With love,

Caitlin