Stand With Gabe against Gigantism and his Pituitary Tumor

Help My Son – Our Gentle Giant – Fight His Pituitary Tumor and Gigantism

Hi everyone,

My name is Tara, and I’m the mom of an incredible 15-year-old boy named Gabriel.

If you know Gabe, you’ll know he’s the kindest and most compassionate kid with a passion for tortoises, a vast knowledge of Jurassic Park trivia, and Star Wars theories. He also dreams of building his own Jurassic park someday. His teachers at school often refer to him as a “Gentle Giant.”

However, he’s currently facing the biggest challenge of his life.

Gabriel has been diagnosed with gigantism, a condition caused by a large pituitary tumor the size of a grape. He’s always been tall for his age, but over the past few years, his growth has been extremely rapid due to a tumor that’s causing his pituitary gland to produce three times the normal amount of growth hormones for his age. He’s now almost 7’2” tall and still growing. Despite his jokes about becoming a real-life dinosaur, the reality is that this condition is significantly impacting his health.

Enter the season we are now in…surgery.

The tumor in his brain is pressing on his optic nerve, affecting his peripheral vision, and if left alone Gabe will continue to grow at this unhealthy rate, which will cause life-altering deformities. This is why John’s Hopkins All Children’s Hospital has determined that surgery, although very delicate with risk to his optic nerve and pituitary functions (affecting growth, metabolism, stress response, reproduction, aging, etc.) is our best route to take. While surgery is the first best step, this also means that Gabe will require ongoing care from specialists, hormone treatments, and close monitoring for years to come.

Not to mention the fact that Gabe’s extraordinary height, though it might seem like something out of a movie, comes with its own set of challenges. He has to duck through most doorways and doesn’t fit in most cars, making even simple trips a struggle. Finding shoes size 21 (if anyone knows where to buy them or has a personal connection to Shaq, please let us know) and socks in his size feels like treasure hunting. The strain on his body has also led him to see a cardiologist regularly. These daily obstacles will no doubt affect him for the rest of his life.

Gabriel has surgery scheduled for August 11th at the John’s Hopkins All Children’s Hospital to remove this tumor. We’re doing everything we can as a family, but the mounting medical bills, surgeries, travel costs, and time off work are beginning to take a toll. That’s why we’ve started this GoFundMe campaign. To reach out to our community and everyone who will listen and can assist in any way possible to help covering his surgical expenses, treatment costs, and recovery expenses, ensuring that he can focus on his healing and regaining his childhood.

If you’re able to donate, share, or even send good vibes our way, it would mean everything to us. Every contribution, no matter how small, plays a vital role in restoring Gabe’s quality of life. We want to thank you for taking the time to read this and for your support for our family at this time.

May the Force be with you, and with our courageous, dino-loving son.