When journalist Dean Eastmond was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma—a rare and aggressive bone and soft tissue cancer—he was told that there was only a 50 per cent chance that he’d live to see his 21st birthday.
Eastmond writes in LGBT+ magazine that he went through “14 overwhelmingly crushing cycles of chemotherapy and months of radiation” as well as the removal of three ribs, half a lung and half of his diaphragm.
But after beating the odds, Eastmond is undergoing chemo again—this time being told that the treatment only has a 20 per cent chance of working.
The London based writer explains that the chemotherapy has had a devastating impact on his body and that he’s been exploring alternative therapies and treatment, “on top of everything incredible the NHS are firing my way”.
He started a crowdfunding campaign to help pay for special radiotherapy in America—and while he received support from friends and family—it also made Eastmond the target of Twitter trolls.
“I don’t want to be all 'woe is me', because I know from their actions, bitterness and hatred alone that I’m above that and them, but these tweets, texts and anonymous messages all began surfacing late one night while I was in a hospital bed enduring a particularly unkind course of chemotherapy.
“My body reacted horrifically from the mental distress caused and added to the physical hits from these drugs being pumped into my chest.”
After Eastmond tweeted about his anxieties surrounding the situation, his posts caught the eye of Troye Sivan—who immediately offered to help.
“Troye had offered, there and then, to completely cover the cost of this alternative treatment, saving myself and my family from being financially crippled in the most difficult time of all of our lives.
"Within minutes, he had lived up to his offer and donated thousands in the blink of an eye (much to my awe, amazement and slight embarrassment) before popping off to sleep.
“Troye might have just saved my life, you know.
Eastmond goes on to say how completely in awe he is of the songwriter who donated “privately , quietly and without the glory”.
“Troye stopped and noticed me, made a difference that could save my life and proved with his modesty, without a fanfare, that he truly is a hero of the LGBTQ community and beyond.
