Andrew's Road to Healing
Donation protected
Over the past couple months, Andrew has been losing his vision slowly. Initially, an optometrist tried a simple prescription with glasses, but nothing changed and his vision only got worse. Finally, after a happenstance meeting with a local optometrist at a mutual friend’s, we decided to see another eye doctor. There, we learned that his vision has reduced dramatically and is far worse than expected; it was deemed unsafe for him to drive. Even more devastatingly, he has lost the ability to read and see most music.
The new optometrist ordered an MRI which immediately showed a benign brain tumor called Craniopharyngioma, which is a non-cancerous tumor. The location of the tumor is what is causing the loss of eyesight, as it is sitting on his optic nerve. There are additional symptoms such a memory loss all of which are greatly affecting his daily life.
We met with an experienced neurosurgeon at Ohio State who was extremely helpful and enlightening. We knew we wouldn't be doing our due diligence if we didn't seek out a proper second opinion, so we went to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN to meet with the doctors there. They were patient and polite in answering all the same questions and gave us continued faith in our chosen health care team at Ohio State.
The path to recovery is a 9 hour surgery, which is going to take place on Friday, August 10th. Andrew will be in the hospital in Columbus recovering for about 7 days and when all goes well should be fully recovered in 6 weeks. If they are not able to remove all of the tumor, we will look to radiation for treatment, but this is more than likely with this type of invasive tumor.
It is not easy for good Iowa boys to ask for help, but we need it now. Even with good insurance, we are going to be left with large medical bills, plus the cost of continued travel and hotel stays in Columbus. If you are able to donate anything at all, we most sincerely appreciate it.
We will keep updating this story as Andrew continues on his journey. We love you all and thank you for everything.
The new optometrist ordered an MRI which immediately showed a benign brain tumor called Craniopharyngioma, which is a non-cancerous tumor. The location of the tumor is what is causing the loss of eyesight, as it is sitting on his optic nerve. There are additional symptoms such a memory loss all of which are greatly affecting his daily life.
We met with an experienced neurosurgeon at Ohio State who was extremely helpful and enlightening. We knew we wouldn't be doing our due diligence if we didn't seek out a proper second opinion, so we went to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN to meet with the doctors there. They were patient and polite in answering all the same questions and gave us continued faith in our chosen health care team at Ohio State.
The path to recovery is a 9 hour surgery, which is going to take place on Friday, August 10th. Andrew will be in the hospital in Columbus recovering for about 7 days and when all goes well should be fully recovered in 6 weeks. If they are not able to remove all of the tumor, we will look to radiation for treatment, but this is more than likely with this type of invasive tumor.
It is not easy for good Iowa boys to ask for help, but we need it now. Even with good insurance, we are going to be left with large medical bills, plus the cost of continued travel and hotel stays in Columbus. If you are able to donate anything at all, we most sincerely appreciate it.
We will keep updating this story as Andrew continues on his journey. We love you all and thank you for everything.
Organizer
Andrew Ryker
Organizer
Athens, OH
