Brad Madvig recovery and relief
Donation protected
Brad Madvig is a 42 year old married man from Maple Grove, Minnesota. In September of 2015, Brad began experiencing vision problems and this led to a diagnosis of Lhermitte-Duclos disease, which is a very rare benign brain tumor. Since then , he has been constantly battling excessive cerebrospinal fluid on the brain (hydrocephalus), which has resulted in increased intercranial pressure that has damaged his optic nerves and diminished his vision to the point that he has not been able to work or drive since last September. He underwent a number of painful spinal taps to help relieve the pressure, but these weren't a long-term solution.
The recommended procedure to address hydrocephalus is to surgically implant shunts so that fluid is drained from the brain and placed elsewhere in the body. However, last fall it was discovered that Brad had a large number of abnormal clusters of blood vessels called fistulas. The presence of fistulas greatly complicated the situation and added a lot of risk to the shunt procedure. Since September of 2016 through the winter, Brad underwent several brain surgeries where his surgeon embolized the fistulas with the goal of reducing the intercranial pressure. On February 8th, they decided to attempt the shunt surgery despite the risks, as Brad saw it as the best chance to improve his quality of life, and ultimately restore his vision. The surgery didn't go well, and it resulted in Brad being in a coma for 6 days in the ICU at the University of Minnesota hospital. Fortunately, the surgeon was able to "turn off" the shunts and then Brad regained consciousness. This resulted in a 5 week hospital stay, followed by a 3 week stay at a nearby Acute rehabilitation center, followed by another planned fistula surgery last week. Brad has not been home since February 8th, and in that time has incurred medical bills in excess of $500,000.
Brad's short-term disability ran out last December, and he is in the middle of getting approved for long-term disability, but he hasn't received anything yet. The loss of income, large medical deductibles, and general living expenses have been an incredible burden. Let's step up and help Brad out!
The recommended procedure to address hydrocephalus is to surgically implant shunts so that fluid is drained from the brain and placed elsewhere in the body. However, last fall it was discovered that Brad had a large number of abnormal clusters of blood vessels called fistulas. The presence of fistulas greatly complicated the situation and added a lot of risk to the shunt procedure. Since September of 2016 through the winter, Brad underwent several brain surgeries where his surgeon embolized the fistulas with the goal of reducing the intercranial pressure. On February 8th, they decided to attempt the shunt surgery despite the risks, as Brad saw it as the best chance to improve his quality of life, and ultimately restore his vision. The surgery didn't go well, and it resulted in Brad being in a coma for 6 days in the ICU at the University of Minnesota hospital. Fortunately, the surgeon was able to "turn off" the shunts and then Brad regained consciousness. This resulted in a 5 week hospital stay, followed by a 3 week stay at a nearby Acute rehabilitation center, followed by another planned fistula surgery last week. Brad has not been home since February 8th, and in that time has incurred medical bills in excess of $500,000.
Brad's short-term disability ran out last December, and he is in the middle of getting approved for long-term disability, but he hasn't received anything yet. The loss of income, large medical deductibles, and general living expenses have been an incredible burden. Let's step up and help Brad out!
Organizer and beneficiary
Jim Cahill
Organizer
Blaine, MN
Amy Madvig
Beneficiary
