Jeff Flint's Brain Cancer Sucks Fund

This story is shared with mixed feelings of inspiration, gratitude, hope and anxiety that comes with watching a loved one battle cancer. 

Jeff—a dad, a husband, a brother, and a son—has battled brain cancer for the past 9 years. He’s fought through multiple surgeries and rounds of radiation over the years, with the understanding that his battle would be long and hard. Jeff is the father to a wonderful and beautiful soul, Dylan, who turned 3 this past year. Jeff’s life over these years has been altered and distorted, but he has always remained optimistic, always smiled through the worst moments, and showed immense strength even when he had little to give. The determination  and grit that Jeff has shown since his original diagnosis 9 years ago, is inspiring. 


Over the past 2 months, Jeff has been hospitalized in Corvallis and then transferred to a rehabilitation center in Eugene. In June, Jeff underwent 2 massive brain surgeries to remove another large and aggressive tumor called Ependymoma. He had a rough course, and his hospitalization was anything but easy on him and our family. But Jeff kept with one concept in mind “I can do it.” 


On August 8, Jeff got to come home for the first time in two months.  Because his tumor was located on his brain stem, surgeons were forced to cut through his cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls your motor skills.  Due to its location, this also meant that not all of the tumor would be able to removed during surgery without causing irreparable brain damage.  After a 12 hour surgery on June 17, Jeff’s Pathology came back showing that only half the tumor had been excised and that it had changed from a stage 1 to stage 3, the highest stage for rapid growth. A few days later, on June 20, Jeff was back in the operating room and fortunately almost all of the tumor was removed.  Then begins the long, difficult and unpredictable recovery process, but where inspiration and gratitude emerge.


The inspiration comes from watching Jeff work to  gain back strength and mobility to be able to do basic actions like speak, eat, and walk. Things we all take for granted. The in-patient rehab sessions were difficult and exhausting but he pushed through because Jeff wanted nothing more than to return home to his family.


The future for Jeff is still uncertain. His scans and testing show that there is a tiny amount of tumor left.  Jeff’s tumor is rare, accounting for less than 1% of all brain tumors, and his treatment options are limited.


After weeks of  consultations with specialists, Jeff and Ashley went to the NIH (National Institute of Health) in Maryland to see if he is a candidate for radiation therapy with a specialist familiar with this rare tumor.  Hopefully this means the tumor can finally be fully eradicated and change Jeff’s diagnosis from one of fear and anxiety, to one of hope and inspiration. Luckily, Jeff gets to stay in our home state, but we will be relocating to Portland for radiation treatment for six weeks.
 
During this time, we have incurred multiple medical, healthcare, and travel costs—and our road is just beginning. We are a family that needs your help. We are good people, strong people, and kind people. Please, consider donating and supporting Jeff’s treatment and future that we hope is nothing but bright. Dylan needs his dad. I need my husband. His family needs their son and brother. 


Thank you and we appreciate everyone that has helped in any way the last few months. Every little thing helps.