Sunset friends host fundraiser for child with brain tumor

Childhood friends from Sunset Park are coming together to help their own after one father’s child was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Five-year-old Tristian Ortiz felt mysteriously sick when he was three. When his parents, Tomas and Paula Ortiz, took him to the doctors, they were initially left with more questions.

“He’s been having problems for a while and we didn’t know what it was. A lot of the doctors we took him to missed it,” said Tristian’s father Tomas. “When we took him to Cornell, they said he might have had this since birth.”

Tristian’s symptoms happened suddenly. “He was playing with friends in the yard when he suddenly dropped to the floor screaming in pain. He was really hurting,” Tomas said.

When the pain continued and he stopped eating, Tristian’s parents rushed him to doctors. After being transferred to a hospital in downtown Brooklyn, the problem was revealed. “They ran an MRI that revealed a softball sized tumor behind his head and on the back of his spine,” Tomas said. “Because the tumor had eaten it up, they removed and replaced part of his spine with a metal plate.”

The tumor was successfully removed in September, 2014. However, a month ago, the Ortiz family found out during another MRI that the tumor had grown back. “The doctors didn’t understand how it was possible,” Tomas said. “Now it is the size of a tennis ball. It’s growing fast.”

Tristian Ortiz
Tristian Ortiz

Tristian’s next surgery is scheduled for Wednesday, October 21. With medical bills mounting, along with the child’s parents taking time off of work, lifelong friend Frankie Colon and others decided to lend a helping hand, both financially and emotionally, by creating a GoFundMe account, which has already raised $600, as well as scheduling a fundraiser event to be held in Sunset.

“We’re collecting money to help them out because insurance doesn’t cover all the medical needs so we’re trying to help them out the best we can with bills,” said Colon.

The group of over 10 Sunset residents have been friends  since they were first graders. Despite age and families, they remain close. “Every year, we rent a hall and have a reunion party to get everyone together,” said another organizer, Noel Barreto. “We thought it would be a perfect chance to help Tristian.”

“We put it together. We’ll have a DJ, some of the friends are cooking and we’ll have drinks. There will also be some Halloween baskets that we’ll be raffling off. My boss gave me a pair of floor seats to a Knicks game to raffle off,” added Colon. “All the money is going  towards helping the parents out.”

Tomas was overwhelmed by the support. “I didn’t know that the neighborhood was coming together, giving lot of prayers and support,” he said. “It touched my heart and brought my wife and me to tears.”

Despite the serious procedure, Tristian, who loves sports and his little sister, remains in positive spirits, his dad says. “He’s so brave and understands as much as a five-year-old can,” said Tomas. “He was nervous at first, but understands it will make him better.”

The fundraiser will be held at Dirty One Biking Club, 4208 Third Avenue on Saturday, October 24 from 5 p.m.-3 a.m.

To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/kc52hnx4

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