Hello people, for those who don't know, I am Ivan Mercado. I am a 22-year-old first-generation college student, soon to be a father, and a husband for almost 2 years now.

My medical story began last year when I began to notice vision problems in my left eye. Things such as floaters, blurry vision, and everything being darker than what it was. Along with this, I had frequent headaches which didn't seem alarming at first. Eventually, my symptoms got worse, leading to my left eye having internuclear ophthalmoplegia. This, and a visit to my ophthalmologist telling me my left optic nerve was extremely inflamed, led me to go to the ER. Upon many tests and scans at the ER, I was informed that I had a brain tumor, possibly a pituitary adenoma. I had surgery on August 1st, 2024, and the news was it wasn't a pituitary adenoma but possibly a tumor of my skull, more specifically the base of my skull. My surgeon did an amazing job, and I thank God for everything he was able to do for me, giving me more time to spend with my family, but unfortunately, he wasn't able to take it all out, leading to the possibility of it growing back.

In October, I was referred to Texas Oncology in El Paso since that's where I live. I met with the oncologist and I was referred to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. With my brain tumor being so rare, it was best to see the most qualified cancer doctors, which are in Houston. I've been here since January 6th, living with my mom. I had another scan done the day I landed and had a consultation with my doctor, and I found out that my tumor is growing back at a faster rate than expected. My surgery is tentatively scheduled for February 17th and to be honest, I'm afraid. I understand I'm in the best hands for my situation, but thinking about my wife and my baby girl Violet, I'm just worried. My wife is back home working still while pregnant, and I appreciate her and thank her for carrying our family on her back. If I could, I would give her the world and more because words can't say how much I love her and how thankful I am for her. Her due date is in May, and I pray that I can recover in time to be there for her and my child during the birth process.

That sums up my story in a quick manner. I am making this GoFundMe to help my family relieve stress. The donations will go toward paying for my medical bills. If you made it this far, thank you for taking the time out of your day to read our story and get to know me and my family better.