Going Through a Difficult Time
- Teen Mom alum Nathan Griffith, 34, recently posted an alarming message on his Instagram Storieswhich he then quickly deletedbegging for help, alerting friends and fans that he is suffering from liver cancer.
- The Miami-based reality star, who shares an 8-year-old son, Kaiser, with former Teen Mom co-star Jenelle Evans, recently married and appears to be going through a difficult time.
- Hepatocellular carcinoma, which Nathan mentions he is suffering from, is most diagnosed in men over 60. Surgery or a liver transplant are the best treatment options for this disease. If surgery is not possible, there are other treatments to help manage the disease, slow the tumor’s growth, and help preserve your quality of life.
The Miami-based reality starwho shares an 8-year-old son, Kaiser, with former Teen Mom co-star Jenelle Evansrecently married May Oyola, 38, who hails from Argentina. Nathan and Jenelle, who were engaged but never married, split back in 2015. Nathan has another child, Emery, from a previous relationship.
Read MoreWhile it may not always be best to air your laundry on social media channels, it is understandable that Nathan may be feeling scared and alone, and not sure how to handle this difficult time.
Without knowing the full situation, we just hope that both parties are safe and can figure out their next steps.
In a follow-up post, Nathan informed his followers that he would be sleeping in his car, saying “no one was up to the challenge” of temporarily housing him after his troubling first post. “I am desperate in need.”
Relationship problems are tough and can fuel highly intense feelings, but Nathan’s emotional and physical health condition was particularly concerning, especially if he has been suffering from cancer.
Related: Actress and Writer Jill Kargman on Relationships and Cancer
Fans jumped in on the fitness-enthusiast’s other static posts to weigh in on the incident, one person saying they were “terrified,” while another stated he was “spiraling.”
Further details, at this point, are unclear.
Learning More About Liver Cancer
According to Cleveland Clinic, hepatocellular carcinoma is most diagnosed in men over 60. Surgery or a liver transplant are the best treatment options for this disease. If surgery is not possible, there are other treatments to help manage the disease, slow the tumor’s growth, and help preserve your quality of life.
Hepatocellular carcinoma is relatively slow-growing at first, therefore much easier to treat in earlier stages. Since Nathan has not yet shared his full diagnosis detailswhich is completely OK and always up to the personit’s hard to gauge what his specific health status is.
Patients Do Better When They are Less Stressed
Several risk factors can increase a person's chance of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) including, but not limited to, the following:
- Gender (Hepatocellular carcinoma is much more common in men than in women)
- Race/ethnicity (In the United States, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have the highest rates of liver cancer, followed by
- Hispanics/Latinos, American Indians/Alaska Natives, African Americans, and whites)
- Chronic viral hepatitis
- Cirrhosis (a disease in which liver cells become damaged and are replaced by scar tissue)
- Heavy alcohol use
- Tobacco use
- Obesity
- Type 2 diabetes
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Blood tests, ultrasounds, CT scans (X-ray images), MRIs (medical imaging) and angiograms are generally used to confirm a liver cancer diagnosis. A liver biopsy, where a small piece of tissue is removed and analyzed for cancerous cells, may also be performed.
Oftentimes, a liver transplant is considered the best plan when the patient is eligible. For cases of recurrent liver cancer and cancer that has spread throughout the body, your doctor may consider targeted therapy, immunotherapy or chemotherapy as the next step.
Overall, people diagnosed with cancer sometimes feel they may have a lack of support for a multitude of reasons, and it’s clear to see that Nathan is struggling. We hope that he gets the help and support that he needs.
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