As family members of Louis Niksick, we have started this fund to give him the chance to explore options to treat his RARE type of cancer and brain tumor. Please read his story below.

Louie’s story…

In the late fall of 2009, Louie woke up with double vision and a terrible headache.  He was in Afghanistan serving with the 447th MP unit of the Army Reserves.  He was transferred to an Army hospital in Germany, where he was told there was a large mass in his brain and that he would be sent stateside to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC.   There he was told he had a RARE cancer that presented as a brain tumor, a CLIVIL CHORDOMA.  Once he was discharged from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 2011, he was placed medically in the hands of the local VA.   He returned to his civilian job at Kraftmaid in Middlefield, OH and his Army Reserves unit in North Canton, OH.

Following the first onset in 2009, his tumor regrew in 2012.  The symptoms of this new onset and tumor re-growth made it impossible for Louie to perform his job anymore.  His Doctors declared him 100% disabled in 2013 and he was Honorably Discharged from the Army Reserves after 10 years of service and was terminated from his employment at Kraftmaid.
His cancer is VERY AGGRESSIVE, which is not typically of how Chordoma’s behave.  He suffers from double vision, pressure in his head, and lack of ocular control in his left eye.  Depth perception is hard for him as well.  Louie loses his balance and falls easily.  He has undergone 4 BRAIN SURGERIES and other treatments.  He had Proton Beam Therapy for two months at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.  He had Gamma Knife radiation at University Hospital Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland, and Chemotherapy from the VA in Cleveland. 
His current tumor is in the inner part of the skull, only centimeters from his brain stem. There is only 1 CASE PER MILLION PEOPLE PER YEAR like his.  Louie is in his 5th year since diagnosis.  The average SURVIVAL RATE IS 7-9 YEARS after diagnosis.   Approved medications… unfortunately there are NONE.  More facts about Chordoma’s can be found at www.chordomafoundation.org       
         
Louie, who is 42, has a wife, Becky, and two sons: Drew, 13, and Douglas, a 1 year old.  He recently lost his Father and his Mother is in a nursing home.

There is a shining light…Louie wants to explore natural treatments and protocols in an attempt to improve his prognosis and enjoy what time he has with his young family.  Right now the Doctors do not feel there is a medical solution, so he will try these natural options.  However some of these treatments are very expensive and not possible without financial aid.  One costs as much as $1,800 and that one alone will be needed in 3-4 doses. There are other vitamins and supplements which could help, however they are as much as $120.00 for a just a 30 day supply. He will be taking as many as 10-15 a day at times, which could add up to $1,000 or more per month.  Plus to obtain some medications that have been suggested he will have to travel out of state, which will present additional expenses.

Thank you for taking the time to read about Louie’s rare condition.  Please consider donating to help him pursue some of the treatments that are financially impossible for him at this point, so that he may spend quality time with his family.   Every dollar counts and we are extremely grateful for any help you may be able to give.

We thank each and every one of you for donating, sharing Louie’s story, praying for him and his family and simply for reading this story.  Please be sure to check in occasionally for updates on Louie.