Help William Fight Brain Cancer
Donation protected
The Backstory
William ‘Will’ Marlow Jr. is a caring father, loving son, loyal brother, adoring partner and steadfast friend. In September, Will was taken to the ER for a severe headache. An MRI revealed that he had a large mass on the left side of his brain. Due to the tumor’s size and location he was referred for a neurosurgical consult immediately. After reviewing his scans, his surgeon determined that the best plan of action was an awake craniotomy. The tumor was invading the portion of his brain responsible for speech and language, which meant the safest way to remove as much as possible would be through conversing with the surgical team as they stimulated the areas around it.
The Surgery
The surgery took place on October 8th and, thankfully, went perfectly! The surgeon was able to remove 96% of the tumor, leaving behind only the portions that were too dangerous to take. Unfortunately, once in the ICU he suffered back to back seizures which lengthened his hospital stay and set back his recovery. The second seizure resulted in temporary paralysis of his right side and slurred speech. But after a few extra nights in the hospital Will came home and has been gaining strength every single day!
The Diagnosis
After surgery the tumor was sent to the Mayo Clinic for staging and the results revealed a Grade 3 Astrocytoma; not at all the news we were hoping for. It was at that point we knew we would need help from our community. In the coming weeks we will be meeting with radiation and medical oncologists to determine the best course of treatment. Will has quite a fight ahead of him, and we want him to be able face it without the additional stress the financial impact a diagnosis of this magnitude carries. Anyone who has ever met Will knows he is one of the hardest working men you will ever meet, if he could return to work tomorrow he would. Our hope was that he would be able to return following the six-week recovery timeframe his surgical team laid out however his diagnosis may mean he is out of work indefinitely.
How You Can Help
Donate! And if you can’t donate please share the link on social media! All of the funds raised will go directly towards paying William’s medical bills and helping with living expenses while he is out of work.
William ‘Will’ Marlow Jr. is a caring father, loving son, loyal brother, adoring partner and steadfast friend. In September, Will was taken to the ER for a severe headache. An MRI revealed that he had a large mass on the left side of his brain. Due to the tumor’s size and location he was referred for a neurosurgical consult immediately. After reviewing his scans, his surgeon determined that the best plan of action was an awake craniotomy. The tumor was invading the portion of his brain responsible for speech and language, which meant the safest way to remove as much as possible would be through conversing with the surgical team as they stimulated the areas around it.
The Surgery
The surgery took place on October 8th and, thankfully, went perfectly! The surgeon was able to remove 96% of the tumor, leaving behind only the portions that were too dangerous to take. Unfortunately, once in the ICU he suffered back to back seizures which lengthened his hospital stay and set back his recovery. The second seizure resulted in temporary paralysis of his right side and slurred speech. But after a few extra nights in the hospital Will came home and has been gaining strength every single day!
The Diagnosis
After surgery the tumor was sent to the Mayo Clinic for staging and the results revealed a Grade 3 Astrocytoma; not at all the news we were hoping for. It was at that point we knew we would need help from our community. In the coming weeks we will be meeting with radiation and medical oncologists to determine the best course of treatment. Will has quite a fight ahead of him, and we want him to be able face it without the additional stress the financial impact a diagnosis of this magnitude carries. Anyone who has ever met Will knows he is one of the hardest working men you will ever meet, if he could return to work tomorrow he would. Our hope was that he would be able to return following the six-week recovery timeframe his surgical team laid out however his diagnosis may mean he is out of work indefinitely.
How You Can Help
Donate! And if you can’t donate please share the link on social media! All of the funds raised will go directly towards paying William’s medical bills and helping with living expenses while he is out of work.
Organiser
Emily Dilliard
Organiser
Moorhead, MN
