Tristan’s Fight: A Boy’s Battle Against Testicular Cancer
When 3-year-old Tristan Casarez began experiencing strange symptoms—persistent fevers, fatigue, bruising and a sudden loss of appetite—his mom, Chasity Rodriguez, knew something wasn’t right.
“Since he was three and in daycare, we thought maybe it was a virus going around,” said Chasity. “Kids get sick so easily at that young age.” Initially, Tristan's pediatrician prescribed antibiotics. But Chasity remained uneasy. Then, in October 2023, she noticed a small lump on Tristan’s left testicle.
“When I noticed the lump, I brought him in right away,” she recalled. But again, her concerns were dismissed. “The pediatrician said it was probably swollen glands and it was nothing to worry about.” A month later, the lump had noticeably grown and his daycare teachers noticed it too. Concerned, Chasity returned to the pediatrician who referred her to a pediatric urologist.
The urologist suspected Tristan had fluid buildup in the scrotum that would resolve on its own. “He told me to give him Miralax,” Chasity said. “But my son wasn’t constipated. He used the bathroom regularly.” Furthermore, Tristan began to lose control of the bladder. “That was another reason I kept taking him back to the doctor. I knew something wasn’t right,” she said.
By February 2024, the lump had grown to the size of a golf ball. “I took him back in, and at first, the pediatrician said she might refer us to a different urologist,” Chasity recalled. “But after speaking with a colleague, she changed her mind and decided we should just wait to follow up with the original one.”
That follow-up never happened.
In March 2024, Tristan became increasingly ill. On March 16, the family took him to a nearby hospital in Stone Oak, where an ultrasound revealed the mass had grown from 2.7 to 7.2 centimeters. Despite initial plans to discharge him, an attentive doctor asked for another evaluation before release.
“She spoke with a colleague, who said Tristan needed to be transferred to CHRISTUS Children’s,” Chasity said. An ambulance took them 30 to 45 minutes away to downtown San Antonio, where they began to get answers.
At CHRISTUS Children’s, Tristan underwent an MRI, CT scan and another ultrasound.
Chasity recalled the moment Dr. Hannah Gardner asked to include her husband, Mark. “She said, ‘Can you call him? I have the test results and want to go over them with both of you.’ My heart dropped.”
Mark had just returned home to check on the couple’s other three boys. “I told him, ‘I need you to go somewhere safe—they want to tell us what they found.’”
That’s when they heard the words no parent ever expects: cancer.
“Dr. Gardner was very calm,” Chasity remembered. “She said, ‘We found cancer in his left testicle. I don’t know where it’s spread yet, but we need to do an emergency surgery tomorrow.’”
Cancer & Blood Disorders Clinic
CHRISTUS Children's Cancer & Blood Disorders Clinic
CHRISTUS Children's Cancer & Blood Disorders Clinic in San Antonio provides specialized pediatric cancer care backed by expert teams, proven treatments, and personalized support for your child and family from day one.
Testicular Surgery Followed by Testicular Germ Cell Tumor Cancer Diagnosis
On March 17, 2024, Tristan underwent a radical left orchiectomy to remove the affected testicle. That same day, the family was also introduced to Dr. Dimarys Sanchez, a pediatric hematologist-oncologist at CHRISTUS Children’s.
“She took us aside and explained everything—chemo, radiation, medications, side effects,” Chasity said.
“It was so much to take in. I don’t remember everything.”
During surgery, the team confirmed the cancer spread to Tristan’s lymph nodes. He remained in the hospital for four days. A few days later, Dr. Sanchez called with the official diagnosis: Stage 3 malignant testicular germ cell tumor—a rare but aggressive cancer that begins in the cells that form sperm.
“I felt sad and angry… that the doctors we saw before coming to CHRISTUS Children’s had dismissed my baby,” Chasity said through tears. “When I hear ‘cancer,’ I think of death. I was absolutely heartbroken.”
A Tough Road Through Chemo and a Team of Warriors by His Side
Dr. Sanchez explained the full treatment plan. Tristan would undergo four months of chemotherapy. Each cycle required five days of inpatient hospitalization to receive his chemotherapy regimen which consisted of three chemotherapy drugs.
Two of these medications were given daily for five consecutive days while one agent was given only on the first day of his admission. Because of the intensity of the treatment, he needed to be hospitalized not only to receive his chemotherapy but also to receive the supportive care that is needed to manage chemotherapy side effects. After completing his treatments, he was seen in the Cancer and Blood Disordered Clinic on a weekly basis for close monitoring of his clinical status and blood work.
A week after his surgery, and in preparation for chemo, Dr. Jonathan Greenfield, a pediatric surgeon, placed a port in Tristan’s chest. “He was so amazing, super sweet and explained the whole process,” Chasity said. That same day, Tristan began his first chemo round on March 26, 2024, at CHRISTUS Children’s.
The first week was devastating. Tristan was terrified and withdrawn. “He didn’t want to move. He didn’t want to look at anybody,” Chasity said. “He’d say, ‘I want to go home with my brothers. I’m scared.’”
It was nurse Jenny who gently began to draw him out. Recognizing that Tristan was too weak and scared to walk, she brought him a special red wagon that connected to his IV pole. “She said, ‘Let’s get him moving,’ and we’d push him through the halls. Every time we passed her, she’d tickle his foot. By the fourth day, he was sticking out his foot for her to tickle. It broke my heart—but it also gave me hope.”
Chemo was grueling. Tristan suffered from severe nausea, loss of appetite and dry, cracked lips, despite the medications intended to ease the side effects. “He did well overall, but the nausea was the worst,” Chasity said. “They gave him everything they could.”
But alongside the nurses stood another comforting figure: Child Life Specialist Becky Smith.
Chasity remembers meeting her during those early days in the hospital, before they even knew what the full journey would look like. “She came in and said, ‘Whatever you need, we’re here for you. We’re here for him.’” She brought coloring books, Spider-Man toys and a sense of calm that cut through the fear.
“She has this beautiful, bright smile. She gave him a hug that made Tristan feel like he wasn’t alone.”
Although Tristan wasn’t up for playing at first, the gifts and support Becky offered meant the world. Once they returned home between rounds, he used the Spider-Man coloring books to draw with his brothers. “It gave us something normal to do. It gave us joy,” said Chasity.
Holding the Family Together and Ringing the End-of-Treatment Bell
While Tristan spent long weeks in the hospital undergoing chemotherapy, his family made significant sacrifices to ensure he was never alone. Chasity stayed by his side throughout the four-month journey, while her husband Mark managed the household, worked full-time, and cared for their three other sons.
“It was very hard physically and emotionally for us,” Chasity said. “My husband wanted to be with Tristan as much as possible, and I wanted to be with our other boys. We’d never been apart from any of them—it was heartbreaking.”
Chasity ultimately left her job to care for Tristan full-time, a decision that reflected the family’s deep commitment to supporting one another through the most difficult season of their lives.
Because chemotherapy left him so vulnerable, visits from his brothers had to be limited. “They could come, but it was risky,” Chasity said. “They were in school, and we worried not just about Tristan, but also about the other immunocompromised children on the floor.” To protect him, the family created strict routines. “As soon as the boys got home from school, they’d shower and change clothes. We sanitized everything. We even converted the playroom into Tristan’s room so he’d have a safe, untouched space when we came home.”
Those first two days post-chemo were always the hardest. “He’d be so fatigued, barely able to move,” Chasity recalled. “He would just lay in bed with me. But by day three or four, he would start to perk up. Play a little. Smile a little.” And then, just like that, it would be time to prepare for the next round.
In general, regimens to treat testicular germ cell tumors are structured so that each cycle of chemotherapy is spaced at least 21 days apart, allowing patients about two weeks to recover before the next round begins. Throughout this journey, CHRISTUS Children’s remained a second home for Tristan and his family, especially during the spring months. Thankfully, Tristan never required transfusions, which are often needed fairly frequently by most patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Between chemotherapy rounds, his care team monitored his progress with weekly blood draws via his port, which were analyzed at the clinic to monitor treatment response in addition to looking for potential chemotherapy side effects that may have required further interventions such as transfusion support.
“They would tell us how much his numbers were going down,” Chasity said. “We could see the difference. The chemo was working.”
Tristan completed four grueling months of chemo, finishing his final round on June 17, 2024—just one day before his fourth birthday. He reached the milestone every cancer patient dreams of: ringing the end-of-treatment bell.
“It was so amazing,” Chasity said, her voice full of emotion. “All his brothers were there. The doctors and nurses came to cheer him on. Everyone clapped and celebrated with us. It was powerful. Emotional. Joyful. He’d been through so much, and he did it with such bravery.”
Looking Ahead to a Bright Future
Tristan may have finished chemotherapy, but his journey as a cancer survivor continues. Today, his follow-up care includes quarterly visits with Dr. Sanchez to monitor his recovery and ensure his cancer remains in remission. He also sees an audiologist every two months, after experiencing some hearing loss in both ears—a potential side effect of one of the chemotherapy drugs he received. Tristan now wears hearing aids and is learning to adapt with the help of specialists and his family.
Despite the hardships, Chasity praises the CHRISTUS Children’s care team. “I can’t thank them enough,” she said. “From Dr. Sanchez to the nurses, social workers and Child Life, they were all amazing. We had Clarissa Encino as our social worker, and she helped us apply for support programs, gift cards, even Social Security. She was a blessing.”
Chasity credits their strength to faith and prayer. “We prayed constantly. My husband, Mark, prayed over Tristan and us. We left it in God’s hands.” Now, that prayer has been answered.
Tristan is back to being an energetic kid—full of life and always playing with his brothers. Though he’s pickier with food, sticking to chicken nuggets, macaroni, taquitos and waffles, his spirit remains strong.
To other parents facing a cancer diagnosis, she offers this message: “Don’t give up. Keep your faith. I know it feels dark and impossible. But look at my son—he made it. And he’s not alone. There are so many other kids who’ve made it too. I truly believe the team at CHRISTUS Children’s helped save him.”
For more information about the hematology and oncology services at CHRISTUS Children’s, visit the Pediatric Cancer & Blood Disorders in San Antonio | CHRISTUS Children's Hospital.
