Adventures in Acromegaly
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My brother in law, Eric, has been diagnosed with a rare disease called Acromegaly (more details below). He will be undergoing brain surgery within the next month to remove a dangerous tumor located near the carotid artery on his pituitary gland. We are raising money to help this father of 4 continue to support his family financially while he is unable to work for 6 weeks. My sister, Lysandra, will also need to take time off in order to assist in the rehabilitation process and taking care of the kids. They will also be incurring hospital expenses in an undetermined amount as of this point as well as hotel and travel expenses to UVA. Anything you can do to help support this family is GREATLY appreciated- and if you can not, your prayers are just as important. We will continue to provide updates as we get them. THANK YOU!
A Message from my sister:
My amazing husband and father to our four children has been diagnosed with a disease called Acromegaly. Never heard of it? Well it’s pretty rare. This disease is caused by a benign tumor located on the pituitary gland that sits right under the brains optic area. This particular tumor causes the growth hormone factor to be increased, in Eric’s case it’s almost 5 times what it should be. This causes large hands, protruding jaw, dense bones, more defined brow bones, enlarged organs including heart, thyroid problems, joint issues, sleep apnea, colon polyps, melanoma, visual disturbances, etc. Eric does not have all of these but he has most of them. He will have to have surgery at UVA’s Pituitary Center to remove the tumor some time in July. This surgery is dangerous because his tumor looks to be butting up to his right carotid artery. The goal is to make sure the artery is safe first and take out as much of the tumor as they can second. There may be a need for radiation or medication therapy second to surgery but we won’t know until after surgery if that will happen. Along with the tumor surgery he may need septoplasty at the same time for his severely deviated septum in order to even be able do the surgery. There will be lots of tests post surgery to see what other organs have been affected by this disease but they aren’t priority. We are very confident in the multi disciplinary team that are caring for him here in Virginia Beach and up in UVA.
A Message from my sister:
My amazing husband and father to our four children has been diagnosed with a disease called Acromegaly. Never heard of it? Well it’s pretty rare. This disease is caused by a benign tumor located on the pituitary gland that sits right under the brains optic area. This particular tumor causes the growth hormone factor to be increased, in Eric’s case it’s almost 5 times what it should be. This causes large hands, protruding jaw, dense bones, more defined brow bones, enlarged organs including heart, thyroid problems, joint issues, sleep apnea, colon polyps, melanoma, visual disturbances, etc. Eric does not have all of these but he has most of them. He will have to have surgery at UVA’s Pituitary Center to remove the tumor some time in July. This surgery is dangerous because his tumor looks to be butting up to his right carotid artery. The goal is to make sure the artery is safe first and take out as much of the tumor as they can second. There may be a need for radiation or medication therapy second to surgery but we won’t know until after surgery if that will happen. Along with the tumor surgery he may need septoplasty at the same time for his severely deviated septum in order to even be able do the surgery. There will be lots of tests post surgery to see what other organs have been affected by this disease but they aren’t priority. We are very confident in the multi disciplinary team that are caring for him here in Virginia Beach and up in UVA.
Organizer
Jeremy Engstrand
Organizer
Virginia Beach, VA