The year 2025 had started like many years for myself and my family.

I'm a husband and father of five beautiful children.

My three youngest children (8, 11, and 16) were attending school, looking forward to summer, as my oldest (23) is looking forward to law school in the fall, and my oldest son (20) continues to work on his career in mechanics.

In March 2025, my 11-year-old daughter, Myka, suffered from what was classified as a seizure. She was rushed to the emergency room, and within a short amount of time, she had recovered, and the doctor deemed the seizure a migraine.

Myka was referred to Children's Mercy Neurology Clinic for further EEG and MRI testing, for what we thought was precautionary, and the original diagnosis of a migraine would still be the diagnosis.

On April 23, 2025, I received the news no parent wants to receive. The MRI had shown a clear lesion/tumor on the left side of Myka's brain.

The news I was given made the world stop.

Myka has since undergone another MRI with contrast and brain mapping to learn what brain functions the lesion may be affecting. She has been on seizure medication since the discovery and has been very brave.

She continues to attend school, play softball, and play with her siblings as we have attempted to maintain normalcy in her life as much as we can.

On May 2, 2025, we received the second MRI with contrast results. We received both relieving and stressful updates. The results showed three possible diagnoses: Astrocytoma, Pleomorphic Xanthoastrocytoma, or Ganglioglioma.

The relieving news is that all three current possible diagnoses are benign lesions. The stressful news is that the primary treatment is surgical removal for all three possible diagnoses.

Myka will be undergoing surgery to remove the lesion on May 28th. She's being very brave and has named her lesion "Billy." Her surgeon has a very optimistic outlook.

If you have the ability and desire to donate, know that even small donations go a long way. The donations received will be used to cover medical bills, travel expenses, unpaid time away from work, and any other costs associated with "Operation Bye Bye Billy."

Thank you from me, my wife, and Myka for all your help and prayers.