Help Steve Receive Surgery for a Rare Tumor

Story

Hi friends and family,

For the past 8 months, we’ve been on an exhausting journey trying to figure out what’s going on with Steve’s health. It’s been a rollercoaster, doctors throwing around possible diagnoses like lymphoma, lupus, Crohn’s-related arthritis, and more. We’ve had to push, advocate, and keep going, even when it felt like we were hitting wall after wall.

It all started back in September when Steve felt a lump on his neck. We thought it was just swollen from a recent case of COVID, but weeks later, it was still there, and bigger. Dozens of tests, scans, and appointments followed. This led to him having four lymph nodes removed from his neck, and while we were relieved it wasn’t lymphoma, the mystery symptoms kept piling up: constant fatigue, high blood pressure no one could control, pain, fluid buildup around his neck, night sweats, rapid heart rate, and more lumps appearing. Along the way, Steve developed vocal cord paralysis and dangerously high blood pressure (often 170s/110s) that no medication could control.

Finally, after countless visits to specialists, we got some answers. A recent CT scan showed a rare tumor called a pheochromocytoma on Steve’s left adrenal gland. It’s what’s been sending his blood pressure through the roof and throwing his whole system off. It’s an active tumor, meaning it’s affecting hormone production and triggering all the symptoms he’s been living with for months.

If left untreated, pheochromocytoma, for Steve is life-threatening, leading to serious complications like heart attack, stroke, or heart failure. That’s why this surgery is critical, not just to improve his quality of life, but to save it.

The only option is to remove it, but because of where it is located, the surgery is going to be done laparoscopically, which makes it more complex and costly. It also comes with serious risks, especially during surgery when hormone levels can spike dangerously. His care team is working closely with us to plan every step.

We’re aiming to have this surgery in mid-to-late July, but it comes with a lot of costs: upfront surgical expenses, pre-op and post-op care, hospital stay, travel, etc., and Raul will need to step away from his job running a nonprofit to take care of Steve before and after the surgery. We’re hoping to raise 12,000 to help cover these urgent needs.

We’ve thought long and hard about asking for help. It’s not something we do often, we’re usually the ones trying to help others, but this time, we really need it. Raul will also be doing beadwork sales to help with fundraising, so please follow his Facebook page for sales and ordering. He will get to orders in due time, everyone trusts him.

If you’re able to give, share, or even send good thoughts our way, we appreciate it more than you know. And if you have any questions or want to reach out directly, please feel free to message Raul on Facebook.

Thank you so much for your support!
Take care,
Raul & Steve

Organizers :

Raul Aguilar Jr is organizing this fundraiser.