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My name is Amber Radom, I am making this page on behalf of my boyfriend Derek Cherkas. We are hoping to raise funds, after he was diagnosed with an unexpected illness.
Derek is 29 years old who until recently was previously healthy, with no signs or symptoms. He has been off work since May 2015 because he was recovering from a knee surgery. He attended his last round of schooling in September, and in October 2015, he received his Journeyman ticket to be a Pipefitter. He was very excited and scheduled to begin work as a Journeyman on November 2.
Unfortunately, on October 31, 2015, his life changed for the worse when we found out that he had a 4 cm mass in the occipital lobe of his brain. We immediately rushed him to Regina, SK, where we met with a neurosurgeon and he underwent multiple tests and scans. On November 19, he had a biopsy to determine the type and severity of the tumor. We were remaining hopeful through it all that everything would be okay. On November 30, our worst fear came true. He was diagnosed with a Grade IV glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive brain tumors a patient can get. The neurosurgeon told him he had 12-13 months to live, and that was with surgery, aggressive chemotherapy, and radiation. Without treatment, he would have even less time.
We refused to accept such a grim diagnosis. I began to research and find out what I could about the disease. The statistics for glioblastomas (GBM) are not good, but Derek is young and a fighter!
On December 3, he had a craniotomy, where a portion of his tumor was resected. Due to the location of the tumor, the surgeon was unable to remove all of it. The tumor has caused him to become visually impaired, and the surgery resulted in him losing his left peripheral vision. Due to this, he is unable to work or drive. On January 6, 2016 he began his first day of his 6 week treatments of radiation and chemotherapy. He is scheduled to take these treatments until February 17. So far he is coping well with treatments, other than being tired.
Even if the tumor responds to treatment, the unfortunate problem with a GBM is that it has a tendency to come back and is said to be incurable. Therefore, we will most likely have to seek clinical trials in the near future. Saskatchewan has limited resources for trials, and we will most likely have to go out of province to seek help.
He is running low on funds since he hasn't worked since May, and I am currently enrolled in post-secondary schooling. That's why we need your help! We want to be financially prepared, so that we can find him the help he needs and not have to worry about travel, living and other expenses. Derek is so important to me, as I am sure he is to many of you, and I couldn't imagine my life without him. It would mean the world to us if you could help him out in any way!
Not every day is easy, but we are trying to remain positive and hopeful about the future. I will try keep everyone posted about his journey. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers, and a big thank you in advance to anyone who is willing to help him out! :)
Derek is 29 years old who until recently was previously healthy, with no signs or symptoms. He has been off work since May 2015 because he was recovering from a knee surgery. He attended his last round of schooling in September, and in October 2015, he received his Journeyman ticket to be a Pipefitter. He was very excited and scheduled to begin work as a Journeyman on November 2.
Unfortunately, on October 31, 2015, his life changed for the worse when we found out that he had a 4 cm mass in the occipital lobe of his brain. We immediately rushed him to Regina, SK, where we met with a neurosurgeon and he underwent multiple tests and scans. On November 19, he had a biopsy to determine the type and severity of the tumor. We were remaining hopeful through it all that everything would be okay. On November 30, our worst fear came true. He was diagnosed with a Grade IV glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive brain tumors a patient can get. The neurosurgeon told him he had 12-13 months to live, and that was with surgery, aggressive chemotherapy, and radiation. Without treatment, he would have even less time.
We refused to accept such a grim diagnosis. I began to research and find out what I could about the disease. The statistics for glioblastomas (GBM) are not good, but Derek is young and a fighter!
On December 3, he had a craniotomy, where a portion of his tumor was resected. Due to the location of the tumor, the surgeon was unable to remove all of it. The tumor has caused him to become visually impaired, and the surgery resulted in him losing his left peripheral vision. Due to this, he is unable to work or drive. On January 6, 2016 he began his first day of his 6 week treatments of radiation and chemotherapy. He is scheduled to take these treatments until February 17. So far he is coping well with treatments, other than being tired.
Even if the tumor responds to treatment, the unfortunate problem with a GBM is that it has a tendency to come back and is said to be incurable. Therefore, we will most likely have to seek clinical trials in the near future. Saskatchewan has limited resources for trials, and we will most likely have to go out of province to seek help.
He is running low on funds since he hasn't worked since May, and I am currently enrolled in post-secondary schooling. That's why we need your help! We want to be financially prepared, so that we can find him the help he needs and not have to worry about travel, living and other expenses. Derek is so important to me, as I am sure he is to many of you, and I couldn't imagine my life without him. It would mean the world to us if you could help him out in any way!
Not every day is easy, but we are trying to remain positive and hopeful about the future. I will try keep everyone posted about his journey. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers, and a big thank you in advance to anyone who is willing to help him out! :)