Nearly a year ago I was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer. A biopsy showed that this was a Grade 2 Astrocytoma located in my brain stem.  Due to the problematic location, it was deemed inoperable. The tumor was nearly 7 cm across and had a grim outlook. Being classified as a DIPG it was associated with a high mortality rate. As dismal as things appeared, I began the fight of my life to... well, live.



Following my brain biopsy, I underwent 6 weeks of radiation treatment and chemotherapy. My symptoms during this time frame became much worse: the left side of my body was very weak, I had near constant double-vision, no appetite, nausea, and fatigue. For my radiation treatments, they had to create a mask of my face so I literally could not move or hardly even swallow. There are random flashes of light your brain creates when it crosses with radiation, along with awful, awful smells and tastes. I don't think it needs to be said that cancer treatment is not a fun experience. 


Although things weren't looking up, I did a LOT of research and tried new things. I tried re-purposing medications, losing weight, overhauling my diet, new supplements, physical therapy, mental therapy, the list goes on. These things are expensive. There are also doctor's visits, hospital stays, surgeries, medications including more chemo, and tests and scans for all sorts of things.



But what started with such a grim outlook has turned into a lot of hope. I've never felt better, and feel that the things I'm doing are helping tremendously. I look forward to my upcoming scans to support this. The problem is, cancer isn't cheap. I've tried making wise financial decisions all my life, but it all unravels in the face of literally tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills. And it's time for me to admit, I can't keep up.