Hello everyone and thank you for coming to visit Tim’s page. The Larson family is so very grateful for all of the love and support as they navigate this serious and difficult time.
As some of you may know, Tim’s battle with melanoma began in 2016 with a mole on his back. The dermatologist at the time did not make a recommendation to remove the mole, however, Sabrina was not convinced and so they sought out the opinion of another dermatologist. The new dermatologist had a very different response which was akin to “we need to get this off of you now!”. In February 2016, doctors removed the mole in addition to the nearest lymph node with the intended goal of stopping the spread of the disease. At the time, Tim was diagnosed with stage II melanoma.
Following the results of his diagnoses, he was prescribed to complete one year of adjuvant high-dose interferon therapy. Tim completed his one year of therapy on March 29, 2017. Over the course of the next couple of years, he underwent routine PET/CT scans in order to monitor his body.
In December 2019, Tim was found to have two enlarging right lung nodules. A biopsy confirmed that it was metastatic melanoma, catapulting his diagnosis from stage II to stage IV. He immediately started treatments of Pembrolizumab, which is branded as the more commonly known name- Keytruda. The drug is a humanized antibody used in cancer immunotherapy treatments, specifically melanoma.
In October 2020, Tim underwent radiation therapy to try and combat the lung nodules since the location of the tumors were inoperable. To some relief, the radiation seemed to have helped as one of the tumors actually came down in size.
Fast forward to late winter/early spring 2021 when Tim started experiencing bouts of forgetfulness and headaches. He was seen for a follow-up visit on April 8, 2021 with his oncology doctor due to his new conditions. An MRI was obtained.
The result from the MRI came back on April 14, 2021, which revealed at least 20 brain lesions/tumors scattered throughout his brain. A consultation with his doctor outlined two options: (1) supportive care (keep him comfortable) or (2) begin treatments of whole brain radiation therapy, immunotherapy and other medical remedies. Tim is going to keep fighting.
Recent Updates
April 19 - 30th, 2021 - completed two weeks (10 days) of whole brain radiation therapy.
May 17th, 2021 - Whole-body PET/CT Scan was done.
May 20th, 2021 - The results from the May 17th scan came back. The scan revealed a couple more brain lesions, another tumor in his back and a suspicious spot in his lower bowel.
May 24th, 2021 - First immunotherapy treatment after radiation.
We’ve received a number of inquiries from folks looking for ways to help, and we couldn’t be more appreciative. As an outlet for anyone looking to help, a GoFundMe has been set up to help ease the financial burden of Tim not being able to work and Sabrina working much less while being home taking care of Tim.
https://gofund.me/c5770c19Additional updates will be coming soon.
Again, we thank you all for your continued prayers, love and support.
