Derrick Clarke's Brain Tumor Fund
Welcome and Brief Overview
Hello and welcome to my GoFundMe campaign! I appreciate you stopping by to check it out! It recently was discovered that I have about a bit bigger than an inch brain tumor in the center of my brain. This campaign is designed to help support my family's expenses as it has been very hard admittedly on my mother and the rest of my family. We all want the healthy and 100% Derrick that used to be before this discovery but this has been life-changing to me in a positive way.
Timeline of diagnosis and treatment
On April 16th I was admitted to the hospital for a bad headache and fever-like symptoms. This was the result of COVID-19 and the newfound discovery of a brain tumor/obstruction. I was then transferred to another hospital via an ambulance and told that I would be there for a while until they figured out a full picture of my head and spine. This diagnosis of the COVID with the tumor then lead to the usage of steroids to help keep things at bay and when coming off the steroids more problems arose. Such as anxiety, steroid induced psychosis, and high blood pressure. All things that would negatively affect my ability to stay focused in school and still pass finals. After finals, being blessed and passing, a week later my symptoms and mental health deteriorated to a point where I needed medical attention. Many things that were out of character to me occurred such as basic life functions and motor skills. The tumor is theorized to induce these behaviors along with being in the hospital for 2 weeks after being admitted on my 18th birthday for medical attention and future surgery.
Surgery for the biopsy and Recovery
The surgery went great! The procedure was designed to help allow fluid to flow properly where the tumor was causing a blockage. This blockage of fluid resulted in higher blood pressure and affected my eye movements. The anxiety persisted however it got better over time and working with the nurses at the Golisano Children's Hospital in Rochester came to be a big help. Recovery and the actual scarring have been healing up well and I still have the dissolvable stitches in. The biopsy results have been sent all over the country to labs that have indicated that it is a Low-Grade Glioma. I have not had some of the symptoms listed below but this type of tumor and the one I have is considered to be a slow growth cancer. My level and the doctor's level of concern for the function and spread of the cells is low because it is theorized that it has been there for years. Along with the extensive monitoring from the hospital, in my case, the tumor is causing fewer cognitive and motor skill issues after the drains the doctor has made.
Future Plans
Today as of 6/24/21 it appears that I will be undergoing radiology/radiation to help shrink the tumor as it is too risky to remove the tumor. I do not know when yet this will happen but from what we have been told it will be a big process. According to the doctor, it could be, 5 times a week for 7 weeks. So I will need to spend a lot of time in Rochester and away from home for quite a bit if this is a potential scenario. All the money raised from this campaign will go towards helping my mother with travel expenses, self-help/stuff I need, and general use while I am away from home/unable to work.
Other Information
Mental health is very important! Through this I have found that finding a good balance and mastering the skill of patience has helped excel my time at the hospital and helped make a speedy recovery. I went from dementia-like thinking and behaviors. To a completely different person mentally in the entire span of a month. It goes to show how strong and also how quickly, depending on circumstances, the brain and your body can react.