Let me first thank you all for your consideration and taking the time to read my brother’s story. My brother Peter is a wonderful, generous person who has always embraced life, living it to his fullest - the good and the bad. Unfortunately, I am starting the Go Fund Me page because of the bad. Since the age of 23, he has been living with physical challenges due to injuries while serving in the Marine Corps. In 2001, at the age of 29, he was diagnosed with his first brain tumor. In 2018, at the age of 46, that brain tumor had progressed into its current stage - a glioblastoma IDH mutant, grade IV. In 2020, after almost 2 years with no regrowth, he had a massive seizure which resulted in his left side being paralyzed. Scans showed significant progression in the size of the tumor. Peter is a very proud person and would never ask for help, but under the circumstances he wrote the following, documenting his experience and his request for any help to pay for in-home nursing care.
Below is his story:
My name is Peter, I’m 49 years old and a retired Marine. I am also a member of the PVA, Westfield Marine Corp League River Valley Detachment 141, Sheetmetal Workers Local 63 and The American Legion Post 124. I have always loved the outdoors: hiking, mountain climbing, traveling, especially with my nephew, and working with my hands no matter what I’m working on: cars, cutting wood, building things etc. And let's not forget joking around, being super sarcastic with all my friends and family and being the king of pop-ins.
Life has been good and exciting - filled with great friends and family - but also filled with constant struggles. I have been thrown things that have put me off my game multiple times but I have always given it my best to stay positive and keep pushing forward.
In 1995, I fell from 65 feet and broke my back at T10, T11, T12, L1 and L2. I was paralyzed and told that I would never walk again. After 2 years of fighting back and pushing hard, I did in fact walk again, defying all odds. While I had other internal issues due to my spinal cord injury that would never heal, I had my legs and I had my life. I starting making the most of that life. I volunteered as a firefighter, I did some mountain climbing and traveling including back packing across Europe in 1997. I had the opportunity to meet some wonderful people along the way and experience life in its fullest.
In 1998, I had skin cancer removed from my back in two places and pushed through that.
In 2001, I was driving and got tunnel vision. I went to the doctor and they ran an MRI and discovered a golf ball size brain tumor. I underwent emergency surgery a few days later. The surgery had to be done while I was awake in an effort to ensure they did not hit any areas of my brain that would cause me to be paralyzed again. The surgery lasted eight hours and doctors were able to remove most of the tumor. Following the surgery, I had some issues with speech and coordination and it took a while to relearn how to grasp things and not walk into walls, but eventually, with help from friends and family, I gained my strength and relearned most of my lost motor skills.
The tumor that they removed at this point was an astrocytoma and it was decided that the best course of treatment after removal was chemo and radiation and scans every few weeks to make sure there was no regrowth. That course of action worked to keep the tumor at bay for about 5 years.
In 2006, I suffered more frequent seizures and a scan showed regrowth and another surgery was scheduled. This time surgery was about seven hours and again the tumor presented as a low grade astrocytoma. The recovery from this second surgery was smoother and I had less mobility and speech issues than after the first surgery, I also gained my strength back very quickly. The second surgery was followed up by six cycles of chemo until 2008. The chemo was followed by frequent visits for blood work and scans until 2011 when the tumor again showed regrowth. The course of treatment this time was six weeks of radiation.
All was good for a while until 2017 when the tumor came back for a fourth time. I had another round of chemo and radiation. The growth was held at bay for a little while. Until 2018 when it was time for another surgery. This time the test on the removed mass indicated that it had progressed to a glioblastoma IDH mutant grade IV. Surgeons removed as much as they could without causing any permanent loss of mobility, unfortunately, there was no way to remove it all.
Following my third surgery, I was put on chemo again along with targeted radiation. I had blood work and scans done every few months to ensure the chemo was keeping the tumor at bay. The scans continued to show no change (no regrowth) which was great news especially for a glioblastoma. This went on for almost two years until April of 2020 when I had a massive seizure which resulted in my left side being paralyzed. I again went in for scans which now showed significant progression in the size of the tumor.
At this point the doctors said that they could not do surgery without making my mobilization worse based on the location of the tumor. The decision was made for me to come in for treatment every three weeks and scans every six. Doctors have now tried four different chemo treatments over the past year, each of which have kept the tumor at bay for a few months when it would then start showing some growth. When growth was shown they would try another experimental chemo. The most recent course of chemo caused my liver to react severely and I ended up extremely weak and disoriented and was admitted to the hospital for two weeks to rest and recover while my body tried to heal from the chemo.
I know all of that was a long story, but I wanted you to understand that no matter what life has thrown at me, I have always given my best and pushed trough. That was the long of it to date and here is the short of it.
Due to my fall in 1995, I have many medical issues that I have always been able to handle by myself because I was physically able to. At this point, due to my lack of mobility and strength I can no longer care for myself as needed. My left arm and left leg don’t work at all and I need a lift for most transfers unless I am with a confident caregiver. I am a proud man. I have suffered seizures repeatedly, gotten stuck with needles thousands of times, and have had to live three weeks at a time for as long as I can remember but, I have always pushed trough it all because I was able to take care of myself with the support of my wonderful family and friends .
Now is different. I am needing help to do just about everything. I don’t want to burn out my family caring for me and I don’t want them burning through their life savings trying to find me care. I require nursing care which has not been able to be approved by any insurance. I am not one to ask for help, but the time in my life has come that I can no longer do things on my own.
Living your life scan to scan is not a good way to live, but if you know anyone that had or does have cancer it is a way of life that you never really get used to. I appreciate the life I have been able to live because of the great doctors and treatments that have been available to me, unfortunately, at this time there is no cure for a glioblastoma.
I have outlived the life expectancy for a glioblastoma and am proud to say that they refer to me as a long term survivor. Now I want to have quality of life and be able to enjoy the rest of my life to its fullest without causing a burden to everyone although I know they will say that I am not.
With that all being said, I’m asking for your help in making a small donation to help pay for an at home nurse to help with my care. This would allow my wonderful wife and family to be my family and not my caregivers. They are doing a great job being caregivers and family but sometimes I feel like I just need them to be family! Your donations to help provide me with nursing care would allow that to happen and also enable me to gain a bit more quality of life and self autonomy.
Thank you for your consideration,
Pete
Semper Fi