Hi, my name is Janice Fullam. I am starting a fundraiser to help my amazing friends whose lives were just turned upside down by a sudden and rare medical diagnosis. Please consider helping by contributing to this Go-Fund Me fundraiser. The money raised will go towards out-of-pocket medical expenses and living expenses while Brad is not working. Thank you in advance for all your generosity, prayers, and support for Brad and his family.

Let me tell you about Brad Bridge’s story...

During December 2022, Brad had been struggling and was confusing things but just thought it was a bad headache and stress. On January 14, 2023, his head pain was so intense and unbearable that his wife, Dina, brought him to the hospital. The medical team immediately medevaced Brad by helicopter to another hospital. The medical team determined he had bleeding on the brain and a hemorrhage. A neurologist later determined that Brad also has a brain tumor.

Brad’s tumor is very deep in the back of the brain causing balance, visual, and comprehension issues. The tumor crosses over to both hemispheres. So, it’s big and aggressive. On January 18, 2023, Brad underwent an eight-hour-long, complex surgery. The doctors removed as much of the tumor as they could.

Brad’s diagnosis is that he has high-grade Glioblastoma. Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive types of cancer that begins within the brain.

Brad has lost significant vision in his left eye. He is working with an occupational therapist who has given Brad some pointers on how to adjust. The doctors said Brad won’t get all of his function back but they hope his vision and confusion will improve as the brain heals from the surgery. Physically Brad is slowly adjusting. Emotionally and psychologically Brad and his family, as you can only imagine, are struggling with the diagnosis/prognosis.

Last week Brad had a follow-up appointment with the surgeon and the oncologist. The doctors confirmed that the surgery went as well as it could have gone and that 90-95 percent of the tumor has been removed. The doctor advised Brad and his family that this isn’t a sprint, it is a marathon. These tumors can and will come back. There is no cure. You treat, treat and treat.

The recommendation for the next step is for Brad to do radiation. Radiation will start in about a month to give the brain a chance to heal. Then they will give a low dose chemo with the radiation. Radiation will be 5 days a week and chemo will be every day by pill.

Brad will also be adding niacin and an extra dose of a statin/cholesterol drug to his treatment. Niacin is like an immunotherapy that helps the good cells fight the bad cells better and statin is supposed to make the bad cells more vulnerable to radiation and more successful in killing the bad cells. Niacin is a clinical trial in Canada in which they have seen some really good results. After the 6 weeks, Brad will go to a 5/23 schedule in which he will do chemo for 5 days and then off for 23 days. This will go on for several months.

The doctor made no promises and no prognosis. This is a process and will depend on Brad's body and how it handles/reacts to treatments. Brad has a long road ahead of him but continues to have a positive attitude and outlook about his current situation. Brad and his family will take it day by day, week by week.