To everyone who has reached out, sent prayers, and offered support to us, thank you. Your love and messages are helping us stand through this impossible time.

We are updating everyone with the most critical information: our beloved 18-year-old brother, son, and friend, Collin, has been diagnosed with an aggressive, fast-moving lymphoma, currently believed to be a type of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma called T-cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma (T-LBL), and his treatment is starting now.

The reality of this fight began six weeks ago. It started with rapidly growing, painless lumps on his neck. Over the following weeks, as he went back and forth between his primary care doctor, urgent care, and the ER, the lumps grew larger, and the terrifying symptoms piled up. Unexplained fevers, drenching night sweats, breathing troubles, high heart rate, rapid weight loss, and total exhaustion.

The crisis point came with an emergency blood test at Advent Gordon ER showing a White Blood Cell count of 69,000. (A healthy person’s range is usually around 5,000 to 11,000.) This forced his immediate transfer to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta on Friday.

The scans at early path reports at Emory confirmed the severity. The cancer is believed to have spread aggressively. He has large tumor masses on his neck and, critically, deep inside his abdomen and stomach area. The disease is putting immense strain on his body. We are seeing concerning inflammation in his liver and spleen, fluid build-up in his lungs (pneumonia), and even early signs of heart trouble due to the strain of this aggressive cancer. We are currently waiting for the biopsy results from the tumor that was removed from the neck last Monday, a bone marrow biopsy that will be taken today, December 1 in the early afternoon, and a handful of other advanced pathology tests that will help Collin’s medical team put together and finalize the most effective treatment plan. These further tests will also give us more information on the stage of cancer and what his prognosis looks like.

The doctors believe this is an aggressive T-Cell Lymphoma (a type of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma), and time is critical. While we await final biopsy results (including today's crucial bone marrow biopsy), the action is immediate: Collin is starting an intensive, high-dose chemotherapy protocol this week, delivered via a surgically placed central line. This first, crucial phase is expected to require an initial hospitalization of 4 to 6 weeks. This number is very likely to change based on the results of advanced pathology in the coming days.

Here’s How You Can Help

This life-saving, intensive chemotherapy protocol means our parents cannot work. They cannot leave his side. Your support is vital to covering the costs that are immediately overwhelming the family:

Staying by His Bedside: Funds to replace lost income. Housing, food, and utilities, ensuring his caregivers can remain focused solely on him during this long hospitalization.

The Emory Burden: Assistance with the daily financial drain: high co-pays, deductibles, specialized supplements, and the never-ending costs of hospital parking and travel in Atlanta.

A Multi-Year Fight: Preparing for the inevitable long-term expenses: ongoing treatment, rehabilitation, scans, and therapies that will continue for years after he leaves the hospital.

Your donation gives us the only thing we need right now: the ability to focus every ounce of our energy on Collin’s healing. Thank you for walking this terrifying path with us. We know the power of our communities. Please, share our updates with your circles.

With immense gratitude,

Collin’s Family