Ken LaBeaume Keeping up with Ken

We'd been planning a trip to Walt Disney World for about a year.  It would be Layla's first trip to the "Mouse House" and we were all looking forward to seeing the Most Magical Place on Earth through her little eyes.  But after a long and grueling battle with Charcot Foot, my dad volunteered to stay behind to watch our dog, Micky.  He was worried he wouldn't be able to keep up with everyone, but we all joked that he just didn't wanna deal with the Disney Fanatics!

While we were in Orlando, we got a late night call from my dad.  He had slipped on his pants leg and was unable to get back on his feet.  We called fire rescue and they were able to help get him situated.  In the morning, we received another call from my dad.  He had fallen again shortly after the firemen left.  This time his feet got tangled up while moving from his wheelchair to our recliner.  (In typical Kenny fashion, he didn't want to bother anyone, so he spent the night on the floor.)  Fire rescue helped him back into his wheelchair again.  My dad assured us that he wasn't hurt and was just feeling a little weak.  But a few minutes after the firemen left, he got up to use the little boy's room and found himself back on the floor.  By now my mom had booked a flight back to Atlanta, and we asked the paramedics to take my dad to Kennestone Hospital. 

While my mom was flying home, I called Kennestone to check on my dad and to find out what room he was in so I could pass that info onto my mom when she landed.  I talked to my dad for a couple of minutes - they had run all kinds of tests, just to be sure he hadn't hurt anything - when the ER neurologist grabbed the phone to explain he had found a mass on the right side of my dad's brain and he believed it to be the culprit in my dad falling.

My heart sank and I began praying for the best.  What we learned later, was anything but.  The neurologist concluded the mass he found was in fact a glioblastoma (an aggressive and fast growing tumor that originates in the brain).  

His neurosurgeon, Dr. Benedict, was happy with the surgery (which was performed a week after he was admitted to the hospital).  Due to the location and accessibility of the tumor, he told us he was aggressive with the tissue and was able to achieve a gross total resection (meaning he removed "well over 90%" of the glioblastoma).

My dad is currently in the neuro ward at Kennestone Hospital.  He's still experiencing weakness on his left side, so he'll be moving to a rehab facility soon.  At his request, we'll be using this site to keep everyone updated on his progress.  


I implore you, please keep my dad in your prayers!

 "With God, all things are possible."  
Matthew 19:26