hi there, my name is tori, i’m a non-binary gay 19 year old and i’m trying to raise money for the treatment of my pituitary gland tumor, a prolactinoma. i live in south africa, and coming from a low income household with only my father to support me we are unable to afford insurance or medical aid, and state hospitalization is too dangerous since the country’s healthcare system has not been maintained and waiting lists are years long. my mother is an alcoholic and drug user and i have not been in contact with her for about a year now. due to my condition i am unable to work regularly to obtain money and have not completed high school thus far.
in january 2017, i was in 11th grade and began to feel extremely tired and sensitive to light on a daily basis. my father and I were confused as to what was going on because for the year before I was constantly tired but despite this, remained in school and was achieving academic success. in march, my physical state was so aggravated that i was taken out of school and was unable to continue my education going forward. i suspected that i had a pituitary gland tumor as i experienced pulses in my vision, lactation, and for 2 years had not had a period. we were unable to seek medical advice sooner due to my father earning very little money.
an mri confirmed my suspicions and a tumor sized 3.2 x 3.3cm was discovered on my pituitary gland. an extremely rare condition, especially in those as young as myself, being considered a large tumor for its type. it is a non-cancerous tumor, that is pressing on the optic nerve of my left eye and has severely affected the level of the hormone in my body named prolactin. hence the name prolactinoma, it is caused by an extreme amount of the hormone in my body, where the normal level is 20ng/mL, the hormone initially showed 10000ng/mL at the time of discovery.
I immediately began treatment on cabergoline, a drug that creates dopamine which lowers the amount of prolactin in the body and works to inhibit the tumor. In combination with the tumor itself, the medication makes me very tired every day.
after a year, in march 2018 i underwent another mri which showed the tumor had shrunken to 1.3x1.6cm, and my prolactin levels had returned to normal. if i discontinue medication they will however rise again.
i am asking for money to be able to afford another MRI and cover the costs of medication which are $220 a month. wventually i would like to raise enough money to have surgery for the removal of the tumor. the mri itself is $2700 and it would help greatly to afford another month of medication with this. the surgery must be performed by a skilled neurosurgeon due to the delicate nature of the pituitary gland, and it will cost in the order of $13900, hospitalization included.
any help is greatly appreciated, and i am extremely grateful for anyone deciding to donate even the smallest amount. please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have about the use of the money or my condition.
my paypal is paypal.me/angeltype (described as kpop selling because i used it to sell my kpop merchandise on ebay)
if you’d like to donate in another way please let me know. thank you so much, tori
shoutout to everyone making progress that no one recognized because you never let anyone see your darkest moments. i see you and i am so, so proud of every little step you’re making in the right direction.
