Monday, October 25, was a day Kathleen and Derek's world was flipped upside down. The MRI results were in- Derek was diagnosed with a brainstem glioma, grade 2. Due to the location and grade, it is an inoperable tumor. The standard of care is to manage the tumor growth with radiation. Kathleen and Derek started making phone calls to their loved ones and friends to share this heart wrenching news. All of our world's flipped upside down when we listened to Kathleen choke back tears and share the diagnosis.

 

Rewind a few months, Derek had been suffering from what he thought was vertigo. His symptoms included dizziness at first, but progressed to difficulty with speech and some vision impairment. With no relief of his symptoms, he had an MRI completed.

 

These types of tumors are typically found in children, so there is a chance Derek has been living with this for many years. The tumor has now grown enough to put pressure on his brainstem leading to his vertigo, speech difficulty, and vision abnormalities. Derek's team of physicians devised a treatment plan: First, surgery to help relieve some of the pressure in hopes of alleviating his symptoms, followed by a two-week recovery period, and six weeks of radiation with a year of chemotherapy treatment.

 

After the surgery performed on November 2, Derek started having difficulty swallowing. The location of the tumor started affecting the muscles that help with swallowing, and Derek was evaluated by a speech pathologist. Due to the high risk of aspiration pneumonia, the physician team recommended a feeding tube to help Derek get the nutrients and medicine he needs while also avoiding the risk of anything going into his lungs. Additionally, a follow-up CT scan showed the fluid around his tumor is still not draining properly. Both of these complications have prolonged Derek's hospital stay. Ultimately, the team has decided to perform another surgery to place a shunt for the fluid to drain, and to proceed with radiation/chemotherapy treatment as soon as Derek is recovered.

 

As we all know, life never goes as planned and is full of surprises. Kathleen and Derek have likely just been handed their biggest surprise yet. The Young's have touched so many of our hearts, and hold a special place in many of our lives. We all share a memory with Derek making us laugh, or being the loudest Georgia fan in the room. Now it's our turn to cheer on Derek, and be the team in his family's corner. Derek is not one to back down from a fight, mostly because we all know he's too stubborn, and Kathleen and Kason are going to be by his side every step of the way. We are asking for donations to help support the Young's in this long journey ahead of them. Any bit helps with their hospital bills and cost of treatment. Derek , Kathleen and Kason deserve nothing but the world, so we want to do our part in giving them the most of it.

 

Thank you for anything you can give, especially your continued love, positive thoughts and prayers.