Please help Tom fight cancer
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On Tuesday, June 16th, I picked Tom up from his job because he had been "acting strangely" and was not sure about what he was doing. I took him to the ER thinking he was having a small stroke. The doctors determined that he was not having a stroke because all his vitals were perfect, so he had an MRI scheduled later in the week. On Thursday, June 18th, Tom fell while in the shower. He did not know where he was and had a very hard time getting out and walking to the bedroom. I called the ambulance and he was taken to the local hospital. All his vitals were good, so they did a CT scan. The scan results showed a large tumor on the back of his brain. They did an MRI next, which showed that the tumor covered the entire back of his brain and went down into his brain. He was taken by ambulance to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, MN on the 18th and has been there ever since.
Brain surgery was performed, and a biopsy of the tumor was taken. He has been diagnosed as having Diffused Large B-Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. This is the same type of cancer that he had 4 years ago. The tumor is so large and it has put so much pressure on his brain that he can hardly see out of his left eye, he cannot use his left arm or leg, cannot walk or maintain his balance while sitting up, and has difficulty with his speech and memory. We are hoping that this will not be permanent. He has been given his 1st round of chemotherapy this past weekend, which he tolerated very well. He will have to be admitted to Regions for chemo treatments every two weeks for a period of 2-3 days or longer. For me to be with him, I will have to drive back and forth each day to St. Paul since I am not allowed to stay at the hospital with him.
He is going to be at Regions for many weeks or longer yet, depending on how his treatment progresses, how the tumor responds to the chemo, and how he responds to therapy. He is receiving speech, physical and occupational therapy three times per day in hopes of regaining the use of his left side. Eventually, he will probably have to go to some form of rehabilitation center for extended care until he is well enough to come home.
Right now, we do not know if he will be able to return to work at all. We have medical insurance, but it does not cover everything. Tom and I are the last people in this world to ask for help, but I told him that we will have to swallow our pride and reach out. The medical bills are starting to come in and it is already very overwhelming. This is extremely hard for me to ask this, but If you could spare a few dollars to help us, we would be so appreciative. All your love, prayers and get-well wishes are working - please keep them coming for Tom. God Bless you all!
Brain surgery was performed, and a biopsy of the tumor was taken. He has been diagnosed as having Diffused Large B-Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. This is the same type of cancer that he had 4 years ago. The tumor is so large and it has put so much pressure on his brain that he can hardly see out of his left eye, he cannot use his left arm or leg, cannot walk or maintain his balance while sitting up, and has difficulty with his speech and memory. We are hoping that this will not be permanent. He has been given his 1st round of chemotherapy this past weekend, which he tolerated very well. He will have to be admitted to Regions for chemo treatments every two weeks for a period of 2-3 days or longer. For me to be with him, I will have to drive back and forth each day to St. Paul since I am not allowed to stay at the hospital with him.
He is going to be at Regions for many weeks or longer yet, depending on how his treatment progresses, how the tumor responds to the chemo, and how he responds to therapy. He is receiving speech, physical and occupational therapy three times per day in hopes of regaining the use of his left side. Eventually, he will probably have to go to some form of rehabilitation center for extended care until he is well enough to come home.
Right now, we do not know if he will be able to return to work at all. We have medical insurance, but it does not cover everything. Tom and I are the last people in this world to ask for help, but I told him that we will have to swallow our pride and reach out. The medical bills are starting to come in and it is already very overwhelming. This is extremely hard for me to ask this, but If you could spare a few dollars to help us, we would be so appreciative. All your love, prayers and get-well wishes are working - please keep them coming for Tom. God Bless you all!
Organizer
Linda Feldhege
Organizer
New Richmond, WI
