Help Addam Fight Brain Cancer

Hello, and thank you for visiting our GoFundMe page. We are raising funds to help Addam Garvey fight his battle with brain cancer. Here is his story…

Addam is an active and normal 35 year old from Belle River, Ontario. He loves to golf, play video games and hangout with his furbaby Bogey. He woke up one day in late August of 2024 with double vision. He went to an optometrist who believed his ocular nerve was damaged and sent him to an ophthalmologist. He was then sent to Windsor Regional Hospital for a CT and MRI on September 6th. He and his wife, Lindsay, were given the devastating news that he had a mass on his cerebellum and will need surgery.

His symptoms continued to get worse and his tumour doubled in size from September 6th till his surgery date on November 21st, 2024. He underwent surgery for what was believed to be an acoustic neuroma at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. The surgery was successful, removing about 90% of the tumour but also requiring them to cut his left hearing nerve to gain better access.

He was released from the hospital a week later and returned home to recover while he waited for pathology. It took longer than expected for pathology to come back because his biopsies had to be sent away to a few hospitals along with Sick Kids Toronto.. And a few days before Christmas, we were told he has stage 4 brain cancer called Medulloblastoma.

His oncology team has been working tirelessly to make an action plan for him. He will need to start radiation first then chemo. But, due to the nature of Addam’s cancer, he requires a specialized form of radiation called Proton Beam Therapy, which is not currently available in Canada. To receive this critical treatment, Addam and Lindsay must travel to the Northwestern Medicine Proton Center in Chicago, Illinois in February 2025 for 6 weeks. While the radiation treatment itself will be covered by OHIP, the associated costs (such as travel expenses, accommodations, meals and lost income) are not.

**Edit (Jan 28, 2025): On January 27, Addams MRI showed he is currently no longer a safe candidate for Proton Beam Therapy as his tumour has grown back larger than it was pre surgery. He was rushed to Victoria Hospital in London and we are currently waiting the next steps while he is sedated and on a ventilator. **

Addam has been off work since October because of the symptoms of the tumour and must continue to be off work while he gets treatment. Lindsay has been trying to balance working and trying to be by his side and it is getting more and more difficult.

The funds raised through this GoFundMe will help cover the significant costs of travel and living expenses in Chicago, including the cost of getting the MRI done there as OHIP does not cover it. It will also alleviate the financial strain during this difficult time that way we can focus on health and healing. **Edit (Jan 28, 2025): the funds are currently being used for living expenses in London and reducing the financial strain as Lindsay is off work now**

Addam is a fighter, full of courage and determination. He has inspired all of us with his strength, positivity, and always being ready with a joke to lighten this dark time.

Thank you for any support you can provide, whether through donations, sharing this fundraiser, keeping Addam in your thoughts or a message of support.