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Though most of my life is an open book, haven’t shared this…
Three months ago, my little brother Alvin who is only 28 years old had a severe seizure. He was home alone, woke up with no recollection of what just occurred. It wasn’t until he looked in the mirror and realized that he had severely bit his tongue and had small capillaries burst on his face, that he knew something had happened. He was immediately taken to the ER. After several tests and brain scans, they identified a large mass on the left front temporal lobe that triggered the seizure.
Next round of test determined that the mass was caused by a cavernous malformation. Good news, it wasn’t cancer. Bad news, we’ve been down this road before. My mom had stroke like symptoms back in 2009 and underwent brain surgery and had a long road to recovery. She had to relearn how to talk, walk, write. We can’t believe we are going down this road again but with our little brother.
What are cavernous malformations? It is an abnormal cluster of tightly packed, thin-walled capillaries (smallest blood vessels). The thin walls of these capillaries make hemangiomas prone to bleeding. The blood within the capillaries is usually slow-moving or not moving at all. My brother, Alvin’s mass bled, causing pressure to build up in the brain, triggering a seizure. He would continue to have seizures if he didn’t have surgery to ablate the mass. And even after the surgery, there is a chance that the vessels continue to form and possibilities of bleeding again in the future. Let’s pray he doesn’t experience this again and that science can find a cure!
Alvin underwent surgery and is recovering well in Wichita Falls, TX. We are grateful there were no complications from the surgery. He was out of work for at about three (3) months and unable to drive. He has a high deductible insurance plan and some short term disability insurance, however it isn’t enough to cover the exorbitant amount of medical expenses and not to mention his rent, utilities, car payment and basic necessities.
My family and I appreciate anyone who is willing to help contribute to his medical funds and rehabilitation. No amount is too small. We need him focused on recovery and not on financial stress. We need our wisecracking little brother back in full swing!
Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.
Three months ago, my little brother Alvin who is only 28 years old had a severe seizure. He was home alone, woke up with no recollection of what just occurred. It wasn’t until he looked in the mirror and realized that he had severely bit his tongue and had small capillaries burst on his face, that he knew something had happened. He was immediately taken to the ER. After several tests and brain scans, they identified a large mass on the left front temporal lobe that triggered the seizure.
Next round of test determined that the mass was caused by a cavernous malformation. Good news, it wasn’t cancer. Bad news, we’ve been down this road before. My mom had stroke like symptoms back in 2009 and underwent brain surgery and had a long road to recovery. She had to relearn how to talk, walk, write. We can’t believe we are going down this road again but with our little brother.
What are cavernous malformations? It is an abnormal cluster of tightly packed, thin-walled capillaries (smallest blood vessels). The thin walls of these capillaries make hemangiomas prone to bleeding. The blood within the capillaries is usually slow-moving or not moving at all. My brother, Alvin’s mass bled, causing pressure to build up in the brain, triggering a seizure. He would continue to have seizures if he didn’t have surgery to ablate the mass. And even after the surgery, there is a chance that the vessels continue to form and possibilities of bleeding again in the future. Let’s pray he doesn’t experience this again and that science can find a cure!
Alvin underwent surgery and is recovering well in Wichita Falls, TX. We are grateful there were no complications from the surgery. He was out of work for at about three (3) months and unable to drive. He has a high deductible insurance plan and some short term disability insurance, however it isn’t enough to cover the exorbitant amount of medical expenses and not to mention his rent, utilities, car payment and basic necessities.
My family and I appreciate anyone who is willing to help contribute to his medical funds and rehabilitation. No amount is too small. We need him focused on recovery and not on financial stress. We need our wisecracking little brother back in full swing!
Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.
