My Dad

It has been a tough 48 hours or so...for those of you that don't know. Late Wednesday evening my sister called to let me know that my father was in the hospital and that they initially suspected that he had a stroke. After an MRI, it was revealed he had a tumor in his brain. My Aunt who is a nurse at the hospital immediately had him transferred to Vanderbilt University Hospital. At Vanderbilt he was given a high contrast CT scan which revealed the severity of the tumor. The tumor is about 6 cm in diameter and due to the depth and location it could not be removed. Yesterday afternoon one of the top 10 Neurosurgeons in the country performed a dangerous surgery to remove a tiny piece of the tumor for biopsy and testing. The surgery went well. Dad is in the ICU and is fully alert and aware and able to have visitors. He has very limited mobility on his left side and can no longer walk without assistance. We spoke with the Neurosurgeon last night about the prognosis. He said the the tumor is an extremely aggressive form of Brain Cancer and that we needed to start radiation therapy ASAP in an attempt to slow down further growth. This type of tumor will not shrink with radiation or Chemotherapy. As the tumor continues to grow there will be more complications. I left the room to speak frankly with the doctor. He told me that there would be a very tough road ahead and that people don't typically recover from this type of tumor. So this prompted me to ask for a time line. The doctor spoke of his 25 year experience with this type of tumor. His words...best case scenario 4 years; worst case scenario if he doesn't respond to radiation is 6 months; the average is about 14 months. Those months/years will be filled with continuous Radiation, Chemotherapy, and Physical, Occupational, And Speech Therapy to limit the deterioration of gross motor skills. I wanted to ask for your thoughts and prayers as we go through this difficult time. There are new treatments available everyday and miracles can occur. but as it stands right now, things don't look good. I will pass along further updates when they are available.