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Despite our initial reluctance, and because so many of you have asked, I have set up this GoFundMe account for my mom, Tracy Harris.
To get everyone up to speed, for the past couple of years we have noticed an increase in Mom's forgetfulness, memory lapses, inability to complete simple tasks, etc. and decided it was time to figure out what was going on. In January of 2021, she had an MRI and it was revealed that a Cavernoma was present (an abnormal collection of blood vessels in her brain resembling a raspberry). After doing a bit of research on Cavernomas, we discovered that they are fairly common, but some people are more affected by them than others. We saw a Neurosurgeon up at OHSU, attempted a few Functional MRI's, and finally scheduled surgery to remove the Cavernoma on June 3rd. On June 1st we got a call that the surgeon had a family emergency and the surgery would need to be postponed to July 12th.
The surgery did happen on July 12th, but unfortunately they weren't able to successfully remove the Cavernoma due to mom's brain shifting just enough that it wasn't safe for them to dig around to look for it. They would give the brain time to rest and try again on July 14th. Unfortunately after a second unsuccessful attempt, the Cavernoma remains in Mom's brain.
Mom then saw a Neurologist in August, who recommended an EEG and referred us to a Neurology Specialist as she feared that Mom's condition was more along the lines of Dementia rather than being affected by something that could be surgically removed. Unfortunately a few days later, it was discovered that she had a huge infection, and after two trips to the ER we learned that the piece of bone that was removed in the original surgery had somehow become infected and needed to be surgically removed as soon as possible. After another week-long stay in the hospital, she was released, but required to wear a helmet due to having a piece of bone missing in her skull (her skin is just stitched over the hole for now). 6 weeks of antibiotics later, this past Friday she had another MRI to make sure everything was healing correctly and to discuss the plan of action from here.
After consulting with the surgeon, they advised us not to try for a 3rd removal surgery as it would be too much for Mom's body to handle and at this point they aren't convinced that the Cavernoma is even causing her issues. They are basing this on the fact that it hasn't grown at all and that the increasing conditions she is exhibiting are not necessarily indicative of where it's located. We are disappointed, to say the least, as we were hoping that it was something that could be removed and fixed as opposed to what we have been worried about this whole time.
We currently have an appointment with the Specialist Neurologist on March 3rd(!) and are working on scheduling her bone replacement surgery and her EEG in the meantime. We are also starting to look into whether or not we can find a Neurology team a bit closer to Silverton, as Mom can no longer drive and we don't want the burden to rely solely on Grandma to get her to and from her appointments up in Portland. Mom also cannot be left alone and needs to be supervised at all times, which is a lot to put on anyone's plate. Gerald is continuing to work at the cart as much as possible to help pay the medical bills, so unfortunately he is unable to be with her 24/7 himself or drive her to her appointments as they are typically during the hours of operation.
At the end of the day, while we don't yet have an official diagnosis, it would appear that Mom has a form of Dementia. We are trying to figure out where we go from here and are looking into all of our options. I will be updating in the coming weeks as we know more, and may be requesting assistance if we need it - whether it be transportation or keeping Mom company. Thank you again for all of your support, we really appreciate it during this time!
To get everyone up to speed, for the past couple of years we have noticed an increase in Mom's forgetfulness, memory lapses, inability to complete simple tasks, etc. and decided it was time to figure out what was going on. In January of 2021, she had an MRI and it was revealed that a Cavernoma was present (an abnormal collection of blood vessels in her brain resembling a raspberry). After doing a bit of research on Cavernomas, we discovered that they are fairly common, but some people are more affected by them than others. We saw a Neurosurgeon up at OHSU, attempted a few Functional MRI's, and finally scheduled surgery to remove the Cavernoma on June 3rd. On June 1st we got a call that the surgeon had a family emergency and the surgery would need to be postponed to July 12th.
The surgery did happen on July 12th, but unfortunately they weren't able to successfully remove the Cavernoma due to mom's brain shifting just enough that it wasn't safe for them to dig around to look for it. They would give the brain time to rest and try again on July 14th. Unfortunately after a second unsuccessful attempt, the Cavernoma remains in Mom's brain.
Mom then saw a Neurologist in August, who recommended an EEG and referred us to a Neurology Specialist as she feared that Mom's condition was more along the lines of Dementia rather than being affected by something that could be surgically removed. Unfortunately a few days later, it was discovered that she had a huge infection, and after two trips to the ER we learned that the piece of bone that was removed in the original surgery had somehow become infected and needed to be surgically removed as soon as possible. After another week-long stay in the hospital, she was released, but required to wear a helmet due to having a piece of bone missing in her skull (her skin is just stitched over the hole for now). 6 weeks of antibiotics later, this past Friday she had another MRI to make sure everything was healing correctly and to discuss the plan of action from here.
After consulting with the surgeon, they advised us not to try for a 3rd removal surgery as it would be too much for Mom's body to handle and at this point they aren't convinced that the Cavernoma is even causing her issues. They are basing this on the fact that it hasn't grown at all and that the increasing conditions she is exhibiting are not necessarily indicative of where it's located. We are disappointed, to say the least, as we were hoping that it was something that could be removed and fixed as opposed to what we have been worried about this whole time.
We currently have an appointment with the Specialist Neurologist on March 3rd(!) and are working on scheduling her bone replacement surgery and her EEG in the meantime. We are also starting to look into whether or not we can find a Neurology team a bit closer to Silverton, as Mom can no longer drive and we don't want the burden to rely solely on Grandma to get her to and from her appointments up in Portland. Mom also cannot be left alone and needs to be supervised at all times, which is a lot to put on anyone's plate. Gerald is continuing to work at the cart as much as possible to help pay the medical bills, so unfortunately he is unable to be with her 24/7 himself or drive her to her appointments as they are typically during the hours of operation.
At the end of the day, while we don't yet have an official diagnosis, it would appear that Mom has a form of Dementia. We are trying to figure out where we go from here and are looking into all of our options. I will be updating in the coming weeks as we know more, and may be requesting assistance if we need it - whether it be transportation or keeping Mom company. Thank you again for all of your support, we really appreciate it during this time!
All potential donations will go toward helping pay hospital bills and/or in-home care one or two days per week.
Having this financial help will allow Gerald some time off from their pizza cart here and there to spend time with Mom at home as much as possible, which is exactly where she wants to be! Our #1 goal is to keep her as happy & well cared-for as we can.
Please click here to visit her CaringBridge website for updates and other ways to help.
Thank you for checking in!
Organizer and beneficiary
Tracy Harris
Beneficiary