Faith Over Fear - Team Tristan

05/28/2026

Friends and family from New Jersey and Pennsylvania sporting Team Tristan shirts!!

John Samuel
Dr. Arti Sam
Esther Sumithra
Rev. Kamalesh Stephen

Thank you!!

05/15/2026

Day 2 of radiation treatment.

Tristan will have radiation every day Monday - Friday for 7 weeks which means he will be living in Little Rock during that time. He also will continue with his chemotherapy. If he feels up to it, he will be able to come home some weekends, but we have been told radiation will drain his energy.

There are only 43 proton centers in the US and UAMS has one of them. Proton radiation reduces the risk of side effects and how severe they may be if he has them. It also reduces the long-term damage traditional radiation can cause to his tissue. The doctor says he will recover quicker from this form of therapy so all of that is positive news.

Tristan continues to have a great attitude and is a favorite with the medical team and anyone who works with him. We appreciate your continued prayers for Tristan as he starts this next phase of treatment.

05/14/2026

Tristan will have his first radiation treatment tomorrow after he has chemo. So before he started this 7 weeks of daily treatments in Little Rock he wanted to get some fishing time in. If there is one thing he loves it is fishing!!

Thank you to Cricket Creek Marina for donating some boat time for Tristan to fish! Our family has used them several times for our boat rentals and they are the best!! Great people. Great Service!

05/10/2026

Tristan update:
Tristan had a CT scan, MRI and a PET scan a couple of weeks ago. We have not heard back from the PET scan but the other scans showed a significant reduction in the size of his tumor. Great news!! It will not change the course of treatment but it shows we are moving in the right direction!
Last week was a free week for Tristan so he and Mary made a last minute decision to go to Houston and visit his cousins Annemarie & Kenneth. Tristan loves good food so he had some great Thai and Indian food and they went to the zoo. Just a little break before he starts 7 weeks of radiation. He will stay in Little Rock during this time because he will have treatments every week day.

Tristan, his parents and our entire family thank you for your prayers and ask you to keep them coming! We know God is in control and has a plan for Tristan!

04/12/2026

Tristan Update

I apologize for the lack of recent updates.

Tristan was scheduled to begin his 3rd round of chemotherapy the week before last, but his blood counts were too low, so treatment had to be postponed. Last week his numbers improved, but they were still not quite high enough to safely move forward.

We are praying that this Tuesday his counts will be where they need to be so he can begin Round 3. This is one of the in-patient rounds and includes the medication that makes him very sick. While the episodes are brief, they are intense, so we are asking for specific prayers that the doctors can find the right combination of medications to better prevent and control that reaction.

Through it all, Tristan continues to handle treatment with such a positive attitude. He has truly become a favorite at both the Springdale and Little Rock hospitals, and we could not be more proud of his strength and resilience.

In the middle of all of this, Tristan passed his permit test! He has been enjoying driving everyone around and is already learning to navigate the interstate like a pro. Watching him continue to hit milestones, even during treatment, has been such a bright spot for all of us.

On another note, some of the t-shirts have come in. If you are waiting on your order, we will be reaching out this week. If you do not hear from us, please text 870-688-9662.

As always, thank you for your continued prayers, encouragement, and support. 💛

03/26/2026

💙💛 Team Tristan T-Shirt Reminder 💛💙

We are still taking orders for Team Tristan shirts, and we are so grateful for the support we’ve already received.

If you’ve been meaning to order, there’s still time! Every shirt worn is a reminder that Tristan is not fighting this alone.

We would love to see our community come together and fill the stands, schools, and town with Team Tristan. 💛

A special thank you to DSI and Jamie McLeod with Unhinged for helping sponsor the shirts — your generosity means so much to our family.

📧 Email: TeamTristanOfficial@Yahoo.com

📱 Text: 870-688-9662

Please include:
Name, phone number, shirt type, size, and quantity

Run Hard. Fight Harder.
Faith > Fear

03/20/2026

Tristan Update

Yesterday, Tristan started Round 2 of chemotherapy. Every third week he has to be admitted because this particular chemo takes longer to administer and requires extended fluids to help flush his system.

This round includes one drug that makes him extremely sick, but thankfully the team has been able to get it under control within about 30 minutes each time. We are so grateful for the doctors and nurses who are taking such good care of him.

He also met with the oncology radiologist to go over his radiation plan and was fitted for his mask in preparation for treatments.

After chemo, Tristan usually has several days of pretty intense fatigue, so he will be resting and sleeping a lot while his body recovers.

We truly appreciate your continued prayers, love, and support for Tristan. It means more to our family than we can put into words. 💛

03/19/2026

We have dropped off shirt orders at Harrison Middle School for those that requested it!! Thank you so much to those that have ordered. We would love to see your picture in a Team Tristan shirt!!

Send a message to learn more

03/15/2026

Run Hard. Fight Harder

03/15/2026

Running for Team Tristan today…. Spartan Race, Houston, TX