Todd Goodman

During the summer of '16, Todd noticed a tender spot on his forehead when he would pull on his bike helmet.  Later that fall a bump started to form.  So at his next routine physical, our GP  noted it and believing it was a simple lypoma,  kept it under observation.  He suggested that if it gets too big, we could see a plastic surgeon for a consult on removal.  Over the winter it grew and we decided it was time to have it removed.  We were referred to a local surgeon for an MRI to remove the bump.  By this time, it was March and it grew from a small bump in January to a very large goose egg.  


We were surprised when the MRI came back showing the tumor was not only on his skull but on his frontal lobe as well.  Since the Dr suspected this to be a meningioma, we were referred the the neurosurgery dept at Mayo in Rochester.  After several tests, x-rays and CT scans, a game plan was put together for the removal and surgery was scheduled for April 20th.  Before going into the cranial portion, the tumor was removed from his forehead and sent to pathology.  When the biopsy came back as non hodgkins lymphoma, the surgeon wisely cut surgery short since treating the lymphoma medically was safer than sugically.    


After more tests, scans and some PubMed research, we discovered Todd had a very rare form of NHL.  This means chemotherapy will be aggressive since reoccurrence can be high when the brain is involved.  6 cycles of MR-CHOP.  The cycles are 3 weeks long w/  the chemo treatment (R-CHOP) that focuses on the systemic nature of the cancer on week one and the chemo (Methotrexate) for the CNS involvement on week 3.   The R-CHOP is a 4-6 hr visit while the Methotrexate is a hospital stay of 3-5 days.  Methotrexate is at toxic levels so they need to watch over Todd's kidneys.  


I will keep this updated during the treatments or if any issues come up.  We appreciate all the kind thoughts, food and help we have received!  It is overwhelming and we feel truly blessed to have so many friends.