Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We've created it to keep friends and family updated about Brent. Get started by reading the introduction to our website, My Story.
Visit often to read the latest journal entries, visit the photo gallery, and please write us a note in our guestbook for Brent.
As many of you know, Brent Thurman has been a life-long Livermore resident, graduating from Granada High in 2006. He went to Santa Barbara City College to study photography and decided to return to the Bay Area.
Brent was the Manager at Mr. Pickles in Livermore, working for his close friends, Tim and Kathy Kerling, for more than a year, beginning in 2009. His personality and work ethic drew people to him and he has made some wonderful friendships. As well, he has an incredible amount and variety of friends in which he has kept close contact.
It seemed that Brent was going non-stop until around January or February, 2010, when he developed a staph infection of his knee, and the source was unknown. It took a couple of weeks; however, the issue resolved itself.
In February and March, family, friends and even customers noticed Brent looking pale and asked if he was feeling all right. He was tired; however, he had been working long hours every week and attributed it to that. Around the middle of March, he experienced another infection in his upper arm, which alarmed us all. He went to the doctor and requested a blood test, which he had on March 25, 2010.
Friday morning, March 26, 2010, at 5:00 a.m., Brent called us to say the doctor just contacted him and instructed him to go immediately to San Ramon Regional ER because his results showed he had extreme anemia.
Brent's dad and I rushed to the hospital and within an hour, we were all informed Brent had leukemia. Brent and we were stunned and shocked. There is no leukemia in our family and were told it is not hereditary.
We waited until 4:00 p.m. that day for him to be transported by ambulance to UCSF. That day began a long journey for all of us with Brent's illness. He began chemotherapy on Sunday, March 28, and stopped on Sunday, April 4, Easter.
Since the chemotherapy was given in large doses with no break, Brent was feeling the effects of the toxic drugs. He did not feel well at all, but he made it through. He stayed in the hospital for 45 days for observation. He returned home for a week before prepping for another hospital stay and stem cell transplant.
There is much more to say; however, we are still overloaded with information and until we are sure of the treatment, I don't want to give incorrect information. We will, however, take all the prayers and well wishes you all can muster. Brent's in for a fight, but he has the will, the strength and the heart to get through it.
He's our son and we couldn't be more proud of him. We are grateful that so many people care about him and proud that they all see in him what we always saw...a wonderful, caring, thoughtful and witty young man.
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