Hi, my name is Cecilia, and I am the proud and blessed mother of Kevin. In June of last year, my son was diagnosed with grade 4 glioblastoma, which is a type of terminal brain cancer. Due to the recent horrific events that changed the trajectory and quality of his life, I decided to start this GoFundMe for him.

I am seeking your help, compassion, and empathy to help with medical costs, and most importantly the ability to enjoy and fulfill some of his bucket list dreams while allowing us as a family to celebrate his life and create beautiful long-lasting memories.

About Glioblastoma

The average glioblastoma survival time is 12-18 months-only 25% of patients survive more than one year, and only 5% of patients survive more than five years (The Brain Tumor Charity).

As you can imagine, the severity of Kevin’s prognosis is a difficult reality for our family and friends to accept—and especially Kevin. With your contribution, we can provide Kevin with possibilities over limitations. While it can be difficult, every day I try to be optimistic about Kevin’s situation and hope that his prognosis is different from the statistics above.

How it all Began

It all started On Mother’s Day of last year; Kevin had a seizure at work and was rushed to Saint Rose hospital. Soon after arriving, he was sent in for a CT scan and MRI. Doctors found he had two tumors in his brain. An emergency craniotomy surgery was scheduled for Friday, May 13th, 2022, the surgeon was able to remove most of the mass from the larger of the two tumors and sent a sample to a pathology lab to understand more about the tumors that invaded his brain. They found that the tumors were cancerous. At the time, they were unable to determine the type, which led them to send a sample to a pathology lab in Washington. The pathologists in Washington were also unable to determine the type, so they sent it off to Texas! After a long month of waiting in fear, we got the results on Father’s Day of all days, that Kevin has stage 4 glioblastoma cancer.

Kevin has undergone two craniotomy surgeries, multiple unexplainable seizures, and radiation therapy and is currently subjected to an aggressive chemotherapy treatment to slow down and stop the tumors from growing.

The Financial Effects of Glioblastoma

Kevin was thriving and making great strides to improve his life and making plans to go to college and secure his future. He was working countless hours to save money to achieve his goals and experience new adventures.

Due to unpredictable seizures and the burden of chemotherapy, Kevin lost his job and the means to venture out alone. He often feels his quality of life has plummeted. During this time, Kevin was caught with no medical coverage because he had barely aged out of ours and his insurance for work was not yet activated. He was just barely too old to use our medical insurance, which meant that for a while all medical expenses came out of pocket. Luckily, while waiting for pathology results, Kevin was able to get on Medicaid, which has brought some financial relief but unfortunately, this coverage does not cover all that is needed and is not accepted by some of the best brain cancer treatment centers. Glioblastoma is one of the more expensive cancers to treat, often leaving patients and families with major financial hardship on top of the burdens of the disease (National Brain Tumor Society). Although Kevin’s doctors are doing their best to provide care, they are not experienced in dealing with this type of cancer, so they have sent multiple referrals to UCSF and UCLA which continue to be denied. Thankfully we were able to get Kevin’s medical records reviewed by a leading specialist at UCSF through ucsfhealth.org for an out-of-pocket cost.

About Kevin (27)

Kevin comes from a blended family with an older brother, two twin brothers on his father’s side, and three younger sisters on his mother’s side. His home base is in both Nevada and Northern California. While Kevin is technically my stepson, we do not use the “step” terminology in our household—I am his mom, and he is my son.

Kevin is the pure definition of kindness. He’d take all the clothes off his back for a stranger in need; although, I sure hope he keeps his underwear.

Despite his prognosis, he continues to keep a positive attitude for his family. His optimism and passion for life is truly inspiring! He is adventurous and loves the outdoors. Much like his father, he loves muscle cars and the Steelers. He also enjoys fishing and loves traveling. Kevin was born on New Year’s Day. Much like a New Year’s resolution, Kevin has a bucket list of things he would like to accomplish. Kevin’s bucket list includes a few of the following activities: skydiving, driving at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, traveling outside the country, relaxing on the beautiful island of Hawaii, and even simple things like experiencing new places around his town that he hasn't gotten the chance to do. I cannot wait to bring his passions to life with your help.

All funds raised will be used to help Kevin with medical expenses and to bring enjoyment back into his life with new experiences that he will cherish. I truly appreciate all donations from those able to contribute. I also welcome words of encouragement, lighthearted jokes (such as a witty brain pun—as we can all use a laugh in these trying times), suggestions for Kevin’s new adventures, and sharing this GoFundMe with those inspired to help. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your donations, and for taking the time to learn about our family’s situation.

Thank you again for your time and consideration.