Hello, my name is Alex. I am having brain surgery to remove a tumor on my optic nerve on April 29, 2026. I am asking for financial support for a few reasons, and I am not going to sugarcoat it. I am overwhelmed, anxious, scared, and emotionally and financially exhausted. I still owe over $2,500 for my leg surgery (that removed my nerve sheath tumor). In addition to what I still currently owe and after this year’s now four MRIs/CT scans, I will have this year’s out-of-pocket max tacked on to it of $4,725. To say I am drowning is an understatement. This has all become too much to handle all around, and I am at the point of desperation. I am having major brain surgery on 4/29/26 and I am hoping to help alleviate some stress to raise some money to help dig me out of some of my medical debt to try to give myself peace of mind while I recover.

My life has changed dramatically since June 2025, and it has been a lot to take in and try to come to terms with and accept. Everything started to go in a downward spiral when I noticed a leg tumor on my right lower calf that was causing extreme amounts of pain. I went through the process of trying to figure out what the growth was and to figure out what was going to be done with it. After imaging, it was found out to be a nerve sheath tumor (Schwannoma) and was promptly removed by Dana Farber on 8/8/25. I thought I was out of the woods at that point and I thought what was done was done and I could move on with my life. Unfortunately, I was mistaken about this, and my problems started to come to light right after the leg tumor. I went to have more imaging completed after noticing I developed hand tremors. It was found out that I have multiple brain tumors and tumors throughout my body, including a liver tumor, and that one of my kidneys is a lot smaller than the other. I also dodged the bullet of severe pre-cancerous amelanotic melanoma after seeing a dermatologist for a cosmetic reason; it turned into an excision surgery to have a spot on my back removed. If it hasn’t been one thing, it is another.

During last year, I had upwards of 10 MRIs, two surgeries (one on my leg and back), and multiple doctors’ visits. I met my out-of-pocket max last year of $5k, which I am still trying to pay off. On top of that, given everything going on with myself, it is believed that I have a genetic condition that is causing all these tumors. Genetic testing was another $2,500 on top of my out-of-pocket max.

Fast forward to this year, 2026. I truly thought this was going to be my year, that nothing bad was going to further happen to me. However, I was mistaken. I started to have vision issues and started to have blurry vision caused by one of my tumors in my cavernous sinus. This area in my brain does so much and has a lot of vital arteries and structures near it that can impact me greatly or even be life-threatening. I had a 6-month follow-up MRI at the start of March, and it showed that the tumor I have causing my vision issues has more than doubled in size and has to be removed in the coming month.

I am not one to ever ask for help and feel horrible doing so; however, I would greatly appreciate any donation and sharing with family and friends. I process disability claims for work and love helping people. I am hoping Karma can come around and help give me the help I truly need right now. Thank you for your time and listening to my story.