Steven Aldridge Medical Fund

Last April, Steven went to the hospital because of terrible upper abdominal pain. After some abnormal findings, he was admitted and they ran a series of tests. A CT scan revealed a tumor, called a paraganglioma, on his left side.

He was referred to an oncologist, who ran a PET scan, which showed a second tumor on his right side.

Thankfully, the tumors are not connected to any vital organs, so they should be fairly straightforward to remove. However, these tumors are adrenaline-based, which means they are excreting extra adrenaline into Steven’s body. If the surgeons were to simply remove the tumors, it would cause such a drastic drop in adrenaline that it would cause more problems.

To prevent that, Steven has begun a series of steadily increasing beta blockers which will mimic the added adrenaline and blood pressure caused by the tumors. Then, when the tumors are removed, his body will be stable and he can slowly decrease, or stop the medication dosage all together.

As he continues to take the medication, his body will become fatigued faster and he will not be able to work. The surgery is currently projected to take place on September 11th at UCSF. And, of course, there will be a recovery period as he heals and then works his way off of the medication and back to normal energy levels.

He does have health insurance through Blue Shield of CoveredCA, but it won’t cover all of the costs, and there will be a big chunk of time where he will not be able to work and will lose his regular income.

Steven’s mom had the same kind of tumor removed, and Steven’s dad passed away from cancer. In spite of this, Steven remains positive and hopeful that everything will go smoothly, and he will be well taken care of.

If you can’t donate financially, please take the opportunity to reach out and support Steven has his friends and family! He’s an incredible guy and I look forward to seeing how we can come alongside him as he navigates this process.

Thank you for your support!

-Katy Pyke