Have you ever thought about how much everything in life is going well?love life and your family? Even if you've gone through some struggles in things aren't perfect 100% of the time. Yet there are still aspects of your life that you wouldn't trade for anything... friends, family, wonderful job, house, etc. Then one day, in one moment, everything changes and you realize you could lose it in the blink of an eye.
You would think that moment was in 2016-2017 when I went into kidney failure and ultimately a kidney transplant at the end of 2017. Little did I know, that journey was to prepare me for the moment that happened on May 8, 2021, when I woke up having a seizure Saturday morning on Mother's Day weekend.
I'm used to strange things happening and random ER visits. So Geoff took Arianna to her soccer game and my mom took me to the ER. This turned into a four-night stay at one of the most expensive places in Dallas that included around-the-clock care, millions of dollars worth of equipment to run tests, and countless nurses, doctors, and specialists to help me in this small moment in time.
One of the tests included an MRI that showed a mass in my brain. Then, on Tuesday, May 11th, a neurosurgeon conducted a brain biopsy that ultimately confirmed Astrocytoma grade II. Medical science is so advanced they can tell more about cancer by running additional tests. So they submitted my brain tissue to Mayo Clinic labs to determine if the tumor was IDH mutant or Wild-type. After a two-week wait, the test came back inconclusive. I submitted saliva to be evaluated with the tissue for further testing. After another two-week wait, the test showed that I had Astrocytoma IDH-Wildtype, with molecular features of glioblastoma.
The tumor isn’t a solid mass, it’s called a diffuse tumor meaning it’s integrated in parts of my brain. I think of it as pouring aloe vera on a bowl of spaghetti noodles. The neurosurgeons don’t feel like they can surgically remove at least 80% of the tumor without paralyzing my left side so the best treatment plan is concurrent radiation and oral chemotherapy (TMZ).
During this four-week waiting period for the test to come back, I met with multiple neurosurgeons, neuro-oncologist, and radiation oncologists from 3 different hospitals (Baylor-Dallas, UT Southwestern, and MD Anderson Houston). After much discussion with family, friends, and doctors, we determined it was best to receive treatment at MD Anderson-Houston.
So, my friends, this is where we are at. I am scheduled to receive radiation from July 6th - August 16th. Radiation is 5-days a week M-F. Since I had a seizure, Texas law doesn't allow me to drive until Im seizure free for 3 months so my mom or Geoff will be home with Arianna during the week and the other person will be with me in Houston. I hope to come home on the weekends to spend time with Arianna.
Many people have asked how they can help. I'm very fortunate that my dear neighbors/friends have a place I can stay in Houston for July. So, where we can accept help is time, money (via GoFundMe), or gift cards to help with lawn care, house cleaning, gas, meals/food/groceries for who is home with Arianna during the week and for me and Geoff/my mom in Houston, and help with a place to stay for 2 weeks in August. Most importantly, this is going to be a rough journey so all the love and support for friends and family who is riding this roller coaster with me is much appreciated.
We love spending time with friends so playdates and get-togethers are always welcome too! If you have a unique way you would love to help, please feel free to reach out.
If anyone wants to come to Houston with me for a week (or partial week), you are more than welcome. I'll be working remotely as much as possible during the week so life in Houston will be pretty quiet.
Update a millionth: MDA found the missing slides and found the tumor to be a wild type grade III. So ultimately, they are classifying it as as a glioblastoma.The average person with this diagnosis lives 13-18 months from diagnosis.
This is terrible news to give your loved one.
However, i was getting asked for updates. So, here is a log of my “ Journey”. I don’t like the word journey but is the best way that I can describe what I’m going through other than chapter. If I haven’t written in a while and you’re curious, feel free to reach out to me. Sometimes I just get caught up with and up on sleep
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