We wanted to share Steve’s Glioblastoma brain tumor (GBM) story. August 20, 2022 we were boating at Patoka Lake and I noticed his left side facial droop. My first comment was “You’ve had a stroke”. Steve had been noticing his left arm had been weak but he thought it was from pressure washing the past few weeks. Then Monday morning when he got to work at Kimball Electronics, he couldn’t squeeze the tweezers to repair the boards. Dr. Lusk knew that wasn’t a sign of a stroke so sent him to Memorial Hospital in Jasper for a PET Scan that same day then MRI on Tuesday and it showed a mass on his right side motor strip which will affect his left side Aug 30 he had a brain biopsy in Evansville and received the worst news that it was GBM the most aggressive type of brain tumor. Unfortunately We were already familiar with this dirty word. It was the same type that Paul Fischer had 😢. After 3 Neurosurgeons opinions, they all said it is inoperable because it would paralyze him.
September 2022 Steve chose not to do “standard of care“ chemo and radiation. His research lead him to Dr Burzynski in Houston. So we spent most of the month there at his clinic. We had a blast checking out the area, Galveston, South Padre Island. His First dose of Avastin brought his “smile back”😀 and was the best birthday present I ever received❣️
October 2022 This month started great by going to Dallas to visit his aunt and uncle Lonnie & Chris Rothgerber. We attended the Texas state fair and went to Cowboys game 🏈. His wrist started to weaken at this point. MD Anderson had contacted me after I made a self referral back in August and wanted a MRI. We were supposed to come home but stayed an extra 2 days for their opinions. They also said non-operable and brain bleed so we kept our flights to come home. Spent 3 days at home and had to fly back down for a week to Dr. Burzynski to change meds. Halloween was scary for us because he had developed blood clots in his lungs but shots in the belly 2x a day helped.
November 2022 Not much change this month. Towards the end, we did notice he was starting to drag his left leg. We felt the meds from Houston weren’t working.
December 2022 Steve and I was able to go with his buddies for another Cowboys game in Dallas on Dec 4th. He was struggling to walk. Dec 12 is when he fell trying to get out of bed. He has been in a wheelchair since. He decided to try chemo and radiation. His first dose was the week of Christmas 🎄.
January 2023 Started the year off with high sugars so that led to insulin shots. Then his platelets went extremely low and had to stop chemo pills. He was very fatigued but never really got sick.
February 2023 Celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary❤️ Our amazing friends held a benefit for Steve! It was so great he was able to attend and to see so many people! Feb 23rd was his next MRI. It showed growth so the chemo and radiation wasn’t working😢. Started with IU neurologist
March 2023 Gave chemo another chance but bloodwork came back bad again. Went to IU again and they suggested “ Optune”. It’s 4 large bandages stuck to his bald head. It supposed to keep the cells from dividing. More fatigue and not much appetite.
April 2023 Calm start but turns crazy. April 17 he was able to get a dose of Avastin! He’s been waiting for a while for this. But that same afternoon, he had blacked out at home so we called 911. I was was already at Memorial Hospital with my dad getting his gallbladder removed. So I met him in the ER. He had a lot of swelling on the brain so he had to go to IU Health at Indy. Lots of testing but no results. After 3 days we get to come home but just before Bloomington he passed out again! After a few minutes Steve wakes up and Collin and I head home. UTI is the next hurdle. Then we land up at Memorial hospital for a 3 day stay again for staph infection and Hickman catheter removal. Collin learned to do IV antibiotic’s from home. Glad this month was over!!
May 2023 Bi-monthly Avastin infusions are going great! May 9th Steve was able to get his 35 yr service award from Kimball Electronics! May 17 we celebrated his 55 birthday 🎂 MRI at IU showing some swelling going down! Great news!
June 2023 Another great month! With help getting up on the lawnmower, he is able to mow the yard! Big smile and tears at the same moment! The hi-lite was making it to St Louis to watch Reds and Cardinals game. Only one trip to ER to get the Foley catheter changed! Steve and I had a great time otherwise!
July 2023 Still going #Rothgerberstrong! The kids managed to get him out on the boat again! Another milestone of courage! Steve, myself and his former ball trip buddies/co-workers headed to Cincinnati for another baseball game! Steve had a blast catching up with them over the weekend. End of the month we witnessed my niece Kelly Vonderheide get married to Brandon Bayer❤️. Great to see lots of friends and family!
August 2023 Physical Therapy has been going good but out of sessions. Collin and Steve been going to the YMCA trying to keep up his strength 💪🏻 Finally was able to get port put in and midline out of his arm. He was able to go along to Nashville TN with me on a business trip. Had a great handicapped room in The Opryland Hotel with an indoor balcony! It’s beautiful and relaxing. And big announcement Elliott proposed to Lydia 💍 Steve’s big goal to see May 11th, 2024!
September 2023 Spent most weekends celebrating since Steve has been feeling well. More boating for Labor Day, great nephew Barrett’s 1st birthday, wedding ceremonies for Abby & Adam Rogier, and Alexis & Josh Riley! My 49th birthday. Special thanks to the Haas family for their generous donation and organizing “Rosie’s Cruise” fundraiser to make that Sunday Funday special. We had the perfect day touring southern IN with over 65 Cool Jeeps, trucks and cars and Rick Morgan’s motorcycle❣️Thanks to Roger and Sherri for taking us in Ducks convertible.
October 2023 After researching this GBM for over a year, I found IVY Brain Center in Phoenix. Dr. Sanai said Steve was a candidate for a clinical trial and he would try to remove most of the tumor. We were in shock after being told by 4 surgeons it was inoperable!! We committed to going out Oct 16 for pretesting and surgery on Oct 18!!
Now I’m up to date and will keep everyone informed! Thanks for reading and everyone’s prayers and support during this difficult journey 🙏❤️
Happy Spring to everyone ☀️. It’s been a challenging couple of months for Steve. He hasn’t been eating/ drinking much which lead to a UTI. That was a horrible experience. We started him back on steroids 2 weeks ago and snapped back quickly! Yesterday Steve had a MRI at Indy. We also met with the neuro-oncologist to get the results which were very positive!! No tumor growth! Praise the Lord! There is a small amount of swelling so he will be starting back on Avastin every 2 weeks (infusions at Jasper Lange-Fuhs Cancer Center…they have been awesome!)which helps with swelling without all the side effects of steroids. He Steve is continuing physical therapy and Collin has been taking him to the YMCA 💪🏻. We appreciate everyone’s support, prayers, cards, food that we have received! What an amazing community we live in❣️l
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