On January 15, Emily Black was admitted to the ICU at Austin Seton Medical Center when a mass was discovered on the left frontal lobe of her brain. She had been experiencing some cognitive issues, particularly short-term memory loss and trouble walking, which had escalated to the point that she went to the ER for an MRI. Surgery was scheduled for Monday, January 19, and the surgeon was able to remove about 50% of the tumor at that time, which resolved the cognitive symptoms but left a lot of unanswered questions that depended on pathology results. Emily kept her sense of humor and stayed in the best spirits throughout.

In simple terms, Emily has a grade 3 glioma, which means the tumor originated in the brain and is on the low end of aggressive. The doctors are hoping to shrink the tumor by another 50-70% with a six-week course of daily radiation, then she will begin chemotherapy after a short break. Everyone is optimistic that this is treatable and manageable.

Emily and her partner, Jared Potts, still have a long road ahead of them. Many friends and family members have asked how they can support Emily, and with her consent, we are hoping to ease their journey through this fundraiser. Emily has good health insurance but will need to take a period of unpaid leave from work before her long-term disability kicks in, and then with a reduced salary. Contributions will be used to cover the out-of-pocket medical expenses for things like hospital stay, surgery, pathology, radiation, chemotherapy, medication, and ongoing MRIs. Anything extra will go towards day-to-day care like meals and housekeeping.

Emily has been so brave and so positive. She has expressed gratitude for having an answer to why she hadn't been feeling like herself. She is focused on getting well and doing all of the right things to take care of herself and promote her healing. She has never hesitated in making tough decisions. Jared has stood firmly by Emily's side and has protected and cared for her. We love them both dearly and sincerely thank you for your generosity.