Tucker's Message

Written by Tucker Davis in early 2009

My name is Tucker Davis and I was diagnosed with fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer) in August 2008, a few months shy of my 27th birthday. At the time of my diagnosis, I had just quit my job in NYC as an investment banker and was enjoying the summer months before applying to grad school or starting at a new job in the fall. In the months leading up to my diagnosis, I began to experience flu-like symptoms, but nothing alarming. Some days I felt great, while others I felt like I had a cold. After a cough began, I visited a pulmonologist and had a complete physical where all appeared normal, including my blood work.

Eventually, I began to experience a sharp pain in my back that travelled down my leg. My leg began to swell and it was painful to walk on. This was no ordinary pulled muscle, I thought to myself. By this point I was pretty sick and unable to hold any food down. I was admitted into the hospital and diagnosed with a large blood clot (this was the pain in my leg) and given a CT scan. The cause of the blood clot was clear – it was liver cancer.

Fibrolamellar is a rare form of liver cancer diagnosed in an estimated 200 people a year worldwide. Fibrolamellar is a young person's cancer; diagnosis usually happens in a patient's teens or 20's. In addition, this variant of liver cancer occurs typically without any signs of a diseased liver (no hepatitis or cirrhosis). To date, there are no effective treatment options for my type of cancer, other than surgery. Since it is so rare there is little research done into identifying risk factors or finding a cure. This will change. I founded and established the Fibrolamellar Cancer Foundation to raise awareness of fibrolamellar, to find a cure and to bring attention to young adult cancers.

We are passionate at FCF about raising funds to further the study of fibrolamellar to find better treatment options AND A CURE. I want to reach out and help others diagnosed with this form of cancer and find answers.

Thank you for visiting the FCF website, and I appreciate your support.