Help Tristan Battle A Rare and Agressive Cancer

Your help is needed in supporting Tristan Goodwill’s battle against a very rare, aggressive brain cancer. This is the second time in his young life that he has had to fight cancer. Tristan was born with cancer. He fought and won. For 15 years he was cancer-free. We all believed, including the doctors, that he would remain cancer-free. Several months ago, my nephew was a normal teenage boy making plans to get his driver’s license. He was devoting his time to his girlfriend and friends and trying to talk his mom into letting him get a job.

It was New Years when the doctor called and told his mom that Tristan had a brain tumor. She then had to deliver the devastating news to Tristan. In an instant all his plans and dreams fell apart.

This completely devastated the family. At the end of April, Tristan underwent surgery to remove the brain tumor. The biopsy revealed it was a high-grade neuro-epithelial tumor with a very rare gene fusion. Due to the rare gene fusion there isn’t much known about this type of cancer. The one thing that is known, this cancer is very aggressive and frequently reoccurs. The options for treating this cancer are limited and chemotherapy does not work. Tristan has spent his entire life battling cancer, or the effects of the cancer treatment he received as an infant. With courage, Tristan started radiation treatments at the end of May to treat the cancer cells that were unable to be removed with surgery.

Both of Tristan’s parents love him and are very supportive of him. Ruth is a strong single mother, and I know my sister will never ask for the help she needs. Tristan’s mother has taken a leave of absence from her work to be able to care for him. Paying for the medical treatments and meeting monthly expenses has become a challenge. Tristan has radiation appointments Monday through Friday every week. Just getting Tristan to the radiation appointments requires 3 hours of driving a day. After the radiation Tristan will continue to have appointments and other treatments that are cancer related. Tristan also needs another surgery on his spine due to Cerebral Palsy. This will help his ability to walk and give him a better quality of life. The Cerebral Palsy was a result of the chemo and cancer treatment he received as a newborn. Unfortunately, this surgery must wait.

Tristan is facing this battle with courage, grace and strength. He spends more time worrying about his mom and how other people are handling his diagnoses than he does about himself. He is truly an inspiration. All donations will go toward travel expenses for treatments, medical expenses and monthly living expenses. If you have the ability to help, please consider. No donation is too small. If you are unable to donate, please share his story. Any assistance you can give would be greatly appreciated. Thank You and God Bless You!