Bill's Brain Trust

On August 14, 2017, William 'Bill' Costa was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  While many of us were anxiously awaiting the coming eclipse only 7 days away, Bill and his wife Carmen had anxiety beyond what many of us could possibly fathom.  In the weeks leading up to his diagnosis, Bill had experienced strange and uncomfortable periods of head pressure & headaches.  He initially blamed it on the stress of a new flying position he had recently taken on that was very demanding and different than what he was used to.  Bill found the infrequent sensation to be uncomfortable, but not painful, and originally thought he might need a new glasses prescription so he continued to fly the line until Wednesday, August 9th.  He made a mental note to let his internist know at his next appointment the following week.  That Saturday, Bill tried to play racquetball with his lovely wife Carmen, but had to stop because he became unusually fatigued.  They tried to walk the beach together on Sunday, but were forced to turn back when he nearly passed out.   Once home and resting, he felt better.


On Monday, August 14th, the morning of his scheduled annual physical, the pain became completely unbearable and Carmen rushed him to the Jupiter Medical Hospital ER.   When it quickly became clear that Bill's case was beyond the constraints of Jupiter Medical, the next step was St. Marys, West Palm Beach, where a great neurosurgery team awaited.  Steroids were started to begin to decrease the swelling in Bill's brain, but once again, after looking at his MRI the great team at St. Marys referred him to Universtiy of Miami Health Center.  Carmen drove him immediately so that they would not have to wait for other transportation, which would have delayed the process further.  Bill was admitted at UM Health Monday evening and steroids were continued through the night to further reduce the swelling prior to surgery. 

Early Tuesday morning, August 15th, 2017, one of the best neurosurgeons in the world, Dr. Komotar, removed a fist-sized tumor that was invading Bill's left temporal lobe and encroaching on his brain stem.  By a miraculous grace of God, Dr. Komotar got it all & Bill's final MRI was clear.  In astonishment to his friends, family, and the doctors, Bill was released from the hospital the following day because of his steady and rapid improvement with God at his side. 




Bill and Carmen's future is uncertain, since his work as a pilot is contingent upon him maintaining an F.A.A. medical certificate, and neurological recovery takes a significant amount of time.  Even once he is recovered, there is the fight to get a medical back, which can take years.  Depending on the doctor's findings many months from now, getting an F.A.A. medical may not happen at all.  We don't know what the future will hold for Bill & Carmen Costa, but Bill is strong and determined to beat this.  Chemotherapy and radiation are next, and the long, hard, uphill battle has only just begun.
 
Please continue to pray for Bill & Carmen and the rest of the Costa family.  Carmen has stated, "We cannot do this without you all, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the tremendous outpouring of love." 

While I have inititially set up this fund for $100,000, I am hopeful we can get this to go viral and greatly exceed that goal.  'Many hands make light work.'  If we each give what we can and spread the word of Bill's fight against brain cancer, we can help Bill's Brain Trust go viral and put Bill and Carmen a bit more at ease with their living & medical expenses.

Thank you ALL for your thoughts, prayers, and financial support of a man who has done so much helping others and mentored many in aviation over the years!