Nakia Reynoso

A little update on Diego, and for once there is some genuinely encouraging news in the middle of all of this. He saw his surgeon, Dr. Alley, this week about the open wound on his leg, where they harvested the bone, muscle and skin used to rebuild his jaw. The wound has just not been healing well and causes Diego a lot of pain. Dr. Alley told him he is a great candidate for a skin graft. The plan is to take the graft from the thigh of the same leg, and the procedure should happen next week. It will be outpatient and take a few hours. The biggest concern is that because Diego is still in cancer treatment, and we already know that healing is taking longer than it would for someone younger and otherwise healthy. Dr. Alley said a graft like this might heal in around two weeks under normal circumstances, but with Diego they really won’t know how well it is taking until they see him at follow-up. His oncologist has cleared him for the surgery, which is a big deal. And Diego is hopeful about it. After everything he has been through with that leg, the idea that this wound might finally have a real path toward healing feels huge. That does not mean things are easy right now. The pain is still severe. His mood has understandably been a rollercoaster. But he is eating better, and right now he is feeling positive and hopeful about what comes next. He is still taking Stivarga (chemo), four pills a day, and continues to make weekly trips to Gadsden for oncology checkups and infusions. Radiation has stopped. He made it through 16 of the planned 30 treatments before the side effects became too much and his doctors had to stop. On October 26, he goes back to the urologist to follow up on the tumors in his bladder. We still do not have any new information on the spots in his lungs, the blockage of his artery, or the early onset of emphysema that they mentioned several months ago. They are handling each thing in the order that makes the most sense but that means there are still a lot of unanswered questions. And financially, Diego and Angie are in rough waters. The weekly trips to Gadsden continue. The skin graft will mean more appointments and more follow-up trips. Angie will need to take additional time away from work to help him through the surgery and recovery. That is on top of everything they have already been carrying. Angie is doing okay, but she is also a very private person when it comes to how much she is struggling. I know enough to know that she is carrying an enormous amount right now. I wish I could tell you we were on the other side of this. We are not. But there is some hope here. There is a plan for his leg. He is eating better. He is still showing up. And after everything this man has been through, he is still hopeful. That matters. If you are able to help Diego and Angie financially, please do. If you have already donated and can give again, thank you. If you cannot donate, sharing this still helps more than you know. https://gofund.me/c4008ded7 We are still taking this one appointment, one procedure and one day at a time. Thank you for continuing to show up for him. Here's a photo Diego sent me showing off his new KISS shirt. With love, Nakia

I wish I had better news to share, but Diego is still in a really hard stretch, and right now we are taking things one day at a time. Earlier this week, Angie called me and told me she felt like I needed to come home and be with my brother. I dropped everything and got to Alabama as quickly as I could. I’m incredibly grateful that I was able to spend some real quality time with Diego, just being brothers, talking, laughing, watching football and being together. I was also able to go with him to his oncology appointment on Friday and hear directly from the people who have been treating him for years about where things stand. I’m including a photo of the two of us together this morning before I left to head back to the Birmingham airport. I’m really thankful for that time with him. The truth is that the last few weeks of treatment have taken an enormous toll on Diego’s body. The radiation to his mouth and jaw caused severe mucositis, bleeding and pain and made it incredibly difficult for him to eat or drink. He's lost nearly 40 pounds in just a few weeks. His mouth is taking a long time to heal, and even now eating something simple like ice cream can be painful and exhausting. He continues to deal with complications from the surgery that rebuilt his jaw, including the large open wound on his leg where bone, muscle and skin were taken for the transplant. It's causing him a lot of pain. That wound still requires ongoing care and supplies, and there are concerns about how well parts of it are healing. He is also dealing with continued complications from his previous colorectal cancer surgeries, respiratory symptoms, weakness, fatigue and the overall strain of fighting two (possibly three) separate cancers at the same time. This past week, Diego made the decision to take a break from his cancer treatments. He did not receive his regular treatment on Friday in Gadsden, he has stopped taking the chemo pills for now, and he told his team he is stopping radiation. He is prioritizing treating these symptoms in hopes of making it possible for him to eat again. At Friday’s appointment they gave him IV fluids and magnesium, examined his mouth and other complications, and agreed that right now his body needs some relief. His care team has recommended bringing in hospice support this week to focus on treating the symptoms that are making him so miserable and help him become as comfortable and strong as possible, but Diego is currently choosing to just stay with him home health care. I want to be really clear about something: Diego is still fighting. If he does decide to choose hospice care, that does not mean that he has given up, and it does not necessarily mean that cancer treatment can never be started up again. Right now it means focusing on the pain, the bleeding, the wounds, his ability to eat and drink, and everything else his body has endured so that he can have some relief and hopefully regain some strength. The fight just looks different right now. Diego is still showing up. He is still talking with his doctors. He is still making his own decisions about what comes next. And all of us who love him are right there with him. At the same time, these are serious days for our family, and we are having some difficult but necessary conversations about his care and his wishes. We are trying to meet this moment with as much love, honesty and hope as we can. Shit y'all - just typing this all out I am in tears at the airport gate. It's a lot. And through all of this, the bills do not stop. Diego’s insurance alone costs around $200 every week. There is gas back and forth to treatment centers and doctor visits, wound-care and medical supplies, medications, food and drinks he can actually tolerate, and all of the ordinary expenses of life that do not disappear just because someone is sick. Angie continues to carry an unbelievable amount of this. She is Diego’s wife, caregiver and advocate, keeping track of medications, appointments, wound care, food, transportation and everything else it takes to get them through each day. They still need our help. I know many of you have already donated, shared, checked in, prayed, called, texted, brought food and supported this family in ways big and small. I cannot adequately tell you what that has meant to Diego, Angie and all of us. But we are not at the end of this road. Diego is still fighting, and we’re fighting with him. If you can donate, even a small amount helps with insurance, gas, medical supplies and the everyday expenses that keep piling up. If you have already donated and are in a position to help again, we would be incredibly grateful. And if giving financially isn’t possible right now, please share this update. Send Diego’s story to somebody who may not have seen it yet. Every share matters. Right now our goal is to give Diego as much comfort, strength, love and support as we possibly can while he focuses on healing and deciding what comes next. Thank you for continuing to stand with my brother. With love, Nakia https://gofund.me/c4008ded7