Donate to Beth Spicuzza's Life-Saving Treatment

Thank You for Reading…

Beth Spicuzza is the wife of a retired firefighter/paramedic with 42 years of service. She was recently diagnosed as having a Glioblastoma (aggressive brain tumor). She has always been there and supported his career when on a 24-hour shift, responding to major incidents on his days/time off, or gone for two weeks when responding to areas impacted by hurricanes. She raised two boys that are now first responders as well.

We are trying to raise money to assist with medical bills. Any money donated will be used to offset the $18,000 deductible and the ongoing treatment that will cost $ 20,000 per month of which $4000 per month will come out of pocket.

Any amount you can contribute would be greatly appreciated, and if you are unable to help out at this time, please pass this on to friends and family that may be interested in helping.

Sadly, around the end of April and beginning of May Beth was complaining of headaches that would consistently come back after over-the-counter meds would wear off. John noticed mild signs of aphasia and immediately set up an appointment with a local neurologist he knew the next day.

Of course, an MRI was done on Friday on Memorial Day weekend. Everything was to be closed on the coming Monday, so no results were coming until Tuesday. Concerned with the symptoms, John asked for a CD copy of the MRI. Taking the disc home and putting it on the computer was horrifying.

There was an obvious large tumor located in the left temporal region of her head. Knowing this could be a serious issue, and no official results coming out until Tuesday, John started researching the best places in the country that treated brain tumors.

Fortunately, one of the best brain tumor centers in the country was a four-hour drive from home. On Monday, with everything closed, they drove to Duke Medical Center without an appointment or contacts of any sort.

Tuesday morning, they went to the brain tumor center and told the staff they were there for an emergency craniotomy. Of course, they looked at them like they were from outer space. After making numerous contacts with personnel there, it became apparent that he was correct and started to make things happen.

That afternoon, Beth was getting pre-op tests done, along with all day Wednesday, and Thursday. Beth went into surgery Friday morning and was treated by a world-renowned neurosurgeon. Apparently this is unheard of how quickly she was taken care of, especially without any appointments or referrals.

Beth underwent an 8 ½ hour craniotomy, while wide awake, to remove as much of the tumor as possible. The tumor was confirmed to be a Glioblastoma. After three days in the ICU, she returned home to heal from the surgery. She is now undergoing chemo and radiation treatment for six weeks.

Following this treatment Beth will be using a Tumor Treating Fields device that will attach to her head and must wear for at least 18 hours a day for as long as possible. This device recently approved by the FDA is now considered the standard of care for this type of cancer prolonging survival rates.

A Glioblastoma is the most expensive type of cancer to treat, considering the extensive surgery by a neurosurgeon and all of the other oncology specialists involved. Obviously, this will not stop them from any necessary treatment to extend her life as much as possible, no matter the cost.