The Malibu community joined forces this weekend to show support for Malibu resident Lyon Herron, who was recently diagnosed with an inoperable desmoid tumor.
Friends and family organized a fundraiser sale with a variety of local businesses, which brought their goods and set up shop in the Point Dume Club House, a portion of the proceeds going toward the Lyon Herron Fund.
People filed into the fundraiser all day.
Lyon was diagnosed with a desmoid tumor at four years old and later diagnosed with Gardner’s syndrome at the age of six. Now 25, Lyon has had to endure 23 surgeries, three rounds of chemotherapy and numerous other procedures throughout the years.
“This journey has brought so much love into our lives and has brought this community together and it just reminds us that there’s an army behind us—we’re not fighting this alone,” Lyon’s mom Barbie said. “You know he wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for Malibu, if it wasn’t for this community coming together.”
At present, Lyon has 13 tumors in his body. Doctors have kept a close eye on one tumor that has been growing for the last seven years, located in his abdominal cavity, where a very large “football” size tumor was successfully removed in 2007. Since December, that tumor has doubled in size.
“We’re out of options with the oncologist,” Barbie explained. “We took the red eye to Cleveland, to our surgeon, expecting to be there for weeks and have the surgery. Our surgeon looked at the CT scan and said the tumor was inoperable.”
The tumor is wrapped around Lyon’s mesenteric artery—he would need a full intestinal transplant and the mortality rate is really high, according to Barbie, so they’re heading to Tijuana, Mexico, to seek alternative treatment. Unfortunately, insurance won’t cover any of the treatments that will take place for the next 18 months.
“I’m feeling very loved—very, very loved. I’m grateful to have the community behind me, that stands behind and supports me no matter what, whatever I’m going through” Lyon said. “Being as healthy as I feel right now and knowing that all I’m doing is pushing health in my body, not pushing chemicals in my body, I feel good and I feel confident.”
Lyon and Barbie left Sunday for CHIPSA Hospital in Tijuana. He began his treatment on Monday, using social media to give daily updates.
“If you’re negative, negative things are going to happen; if you’re positive, positive things are going to happen. That’s just the truth of it. That’s just how life goes,” Lyon said. “To be able to inspire anyone, even if it’s just one person, I’m eternally grateful and if I can inspire many people, then I’m doing an amazing job here. That’s my goal and that’s what gets me up and keeps me going, is inspiring other individuals and showing them anything can be done, no matter what you’re going through.
“And to take the leap of fear to go into alternative medicine is a huge scary leap and not a lot of people want to do it because they’re afraid it’s not going to work… I know that this is the right decision,” he said. “I’m going to be more than okay. I’m going to be the healthiest, strongest version of myself I can ever be.”
For more information: lovebeatscancer.fund/projects/lyon-herron
