David’s Brain Surgery

You may remember David Rosenberg from Worst Cooks in America (Season 6) on Food Network, where David made a Teddy Bear meatloaf and stole America’s hearts. Or you may remember him from the first season of Worst Bakers in America on Food Network, where his pants fell off and his teeth fell out. Or you might have encountered David in Las Vegas, where he and I work as part of the front of house staff for Cirque Du Soliels’ KA at the MGM Hotel and Casino. Trust me, If you see his face, or heard his voice, you know who he is. 5 years later, David still gets recognized from the shows almost on a daily basis.David began having symptoms of peripheral neuropathy back in April and was sent to a Neurologist. The neurologist noticed that after each visit, his symptoms became more concerning and his pain was becoming more chronic, so they ordered an MRI of both his brain and spine. No one could have predicted what they would have found.The brain MRI showed a 1.5 cm mass on his left parietal lobe and the spine MRI showed severe stenosis. They ordered a followup MRI with contrast a week later.That MRI showed that the tumor had doubled in size and the stenosis extended to his upper spine as well. An emergency appointment with a Neurosurgeon was made, and it was determined that the tumor had to be removed ASAP and spinal surgery would have to be performed sometime in the near future.The craniotomy and brain tumor removal surgery is scheduled for September 14th. Once the tumor is removed, David may need radiation or chemo treatments. David will be on unpaid leave from his job for anywhere from 6 to 10 weeks. I know David would never ask for help from anyone, but I know that this will be a major financial burden on him and I would rather he concentrate on getting well, rather than wondering how he’s going to pay all of the co-payments, medical expenses not covered by insurance and his monthly bills.We’ll worry about the spinal surgery when the time comes.Any help would be greatly appreciated.