Gary's Fighting Journey

Hi, my name is Melanie Brendel. Danielle Patton and I have teamed up and organized this Go Fund Me page on behalf of my husband's cousin, Gary Brendel. Gary is a father, husband, son, brother, and friend to all. Gary has always been very healthy, rarely even getting a cold. However, this past Fall, he started to get excruciating headaches. The headaches quickly increased in frequency and intensity, and he was convinced it was COVID due to daily exposure. During the ten days this came on, Gary's wife, Jenn, had him getting countless tests to rule everything out. The night before his MRI, Gary began to have difficulty with word retrieval and reading. These symptoms prompted worry, but still NEVER thinking what really could be. Jenn had Gary go to Northwell at Great South Bay for his MRI. Gary went to work and met Jenn for what they thought would be just a routine exam.

Life as they knew it changed on September 9, 2021. The doctors found a large mass during the exam, primarily in his left parietal region. The radiologist was concerned with the amount of brain swelling and the tumor and immediately sent Gary to the emergency room. Gary had more tests done to determine if this was a solitary mass or perhaps mets. The doctors confirmed that this was a primary lesion and needed to be removed. Gary had so much brain swelling that they had to wait to perform the surgery once the swelling went down. The Neuro Surgeon and her team explained what was found, and the only option was to have an emergency craniotomy. Gary needed this surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible. After a long, six-hour surgery, the surgeon reported that she could not remove it all due to the delicate location of the tumor and how it grew. The surgeon said it was doubtful this would be benign. Gary and Jenn prayed for good results, the family prayed, friends prayed, and strangers prayed.

On September 27, 2021, Gary got the news. The results that were in their gut all along, High-Grade Astrocytoma, a malignant brain tumor. Many of the genetic tests weren't complete, so Gary still had to wait for more information. The tumor was further classified as a Glioblastoma IDH-wildtype Grade 4. The oncologist's plan is to treat Gary for one year. He has since received six weeks of grueling radiation sessions, Monday through Friday, along with daily chemotherapy. Since the start of the year-long chemotherapy, he has had some hiccups here and there due to brain swelling. Gary is no longer able to work. Gary dedicated his life to helping people who have suffered from medical conditions. The surgery has left Gary with some deficits, and he sleeps twenty hours per day. He can no longer read or write much, and he lost more than 60% of the vision in his right eye from the surgery. Throughout all of this, Gary stays positive even when he thinks he can't. His wife, Jenn, is one of the strongest people I know and will continue to stand by Gary during his fight, no matter what it entails. Gary is strong-willed, and he has fought since day one. He is a man that will fight hard and will do whatever it takes to be here for his family. With support from his family and friends, he will continue to fight the ongoing battle with this deadly disease. The goal of this page is to help raise money for Gary and his family. Doing so will ease some of the financial burdens during this difficult time. In addition to Gary being unable to work, his wife, Jenn, has become the primary caretaker and supporter of the household while providing love and support to their seven-year-old twins, Sabrina and Thomas. Please keep Gary and our family in your prayers. He will continue to fight the good fight!