Jimmy Garry’s Brain Tumor Recovery
Donation protected
To all of our family and friends,
On Monday morning our family received the heartbreaking news that my husband, Jimmy, has developed a brain tumor. His symptoms started about six weeks ago, consisting of migraines, dizziness, and nausea. His primary doctor thought it could be vertigo, but after taking medication for that he still wasn't feeling right. He was also given medication for high blood pressure but nothing was helping and his symptoms were becoming worse. His speech was becoming slurred and any quick movements caused extreme dizziness and near-blackouts. I knew he had to be seen ASAP.
Sunday night I drove him to the ER at St. Jude Hospital. They did a CT scan and saw something was definitely abnormal, but didn't know exactly what. The ER doctor said it was possible bleeding in the brain or a tumor. An MRI was immediately done and we were given the results Monday morning, from the neurologist, of Jimmy's condition.
The following day on Tuesday Jimmy had to undergo a surgery to stop the blood flow that went from the artery in his neck to the tumor. The doctor was able to find and access the main blood vessel that was feeding the tumor and cap it off. This was a very scary procedure because if the vessel was not accessible, then surgery would have been unsuccessful because the bleeding would have been uncontrollable and Jimmy would lose his life.
On Wednesday the neurologist, Dr. Bowen Jiang, consulted with us before his brain surgery. He informed Jimmy there was a high risk that he could lose basic functions – speech, vision, walking – given where the tumor was located. Dr. Jiang had to go through the area of the brain that controls speech in order to remove the tumor. It was the size of a golf ball located deep in his brain pressing against the Cerebellum, which controls movement and balance. It was the most terrifying feeling for Jimmy not knowing if he was going to be able to function normally after surgery. There were two neurosurgeons working on him for five hours. I finally got the phone call that the surgery was done and the doctors were able to remove all of the tumor! It was the best news ever. Dr Jiang said it was a Hemangioblastoma tumor which are slow growing in the central nervous system and are very rare.
Right after surgery Jimmy was able to say his name, name the hospital he was at, and knew he had just came out of surgery. It was so incredible and we are all so grateful!! As I sit next to him while writing this, I know Jimmy is just beginning a long and difficult recovery. He is the toughest man I know with a heart of gold. He didn't get his nickname "The Tank" for no reason!
He will be in ICU until hopefully Monday or Tuesday, depending on how his post-op recovery goes. He is in excruciating pain while trying to control nausea, vomiting, and high blood pressure. It will take some time for the brain swelling to subside. He started Physical and Occupational therapy yesterday which went well. With some time and effort, he was able to get out of bed and on to the chair and sit upright for 15 minutes. He will also be starting speech therapy soon.
Jimmy will be unable to work for an extended period. I really won't know for how long until we get further down the road. Jimmy and I are unsure how all of this will impact us financially. It’s a concern I try to distract from Jimmy because he must focus on his recovery and health. Still, we understand the reality and potential impact on our family, so we felt it necessary to set up a GoFundMe account. Jimmy and I are deeply appreciative and we thank you in advance for any contribution you may be able to help us with. And, if you are unable to contribute financially we certainly understand and we appreciate your prayers and positive thoughts.
Lastly, I want to take this opportunity to thank our family and friends who have been there since the onset. I cannot begin to tell you how much your love, support, and assistance has meant to me. So on behalf of Jimmy, Hudson, Brenden, Melanie and myself, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
On Monday morning our family received the heartbreaking news that my husband, Jimmy, has developed a brain tumor. His symptoms started about six weeks ago, consisting of migraines, dizziness, and nausea. His primary doctor thought it could be vertigo, but after taking medication for that he still wasn't feeling right. He was also given medication for high blood pressure but nothing was helping and his symptoms were becoming worse. His speech was becoming slurred and any quick movements caused extreme dizziness and near-blackouts. I knew he had to be seen ASAP.
Sunday night I drove him to the ER at St. Jude Hospital. They did a CT scan and saw something was definitely abnormal, but didn't know exactly what. The ER doctor said it was possible bleeding in the brain or a tumor. An MRI was immediately done and we were given the results Monday morning, from the neurologist, of Jimmy's condition.
The following day on Tuesday Jimmy had to undergo a surgery to stop the blood flow that went from the artery in his neck to the tumor. The doctor was able to find and access the main blood vessel that was feeding the tumor and cap it off. This was a very scary procedure because if the vessel was not accessible, then surgery would have been unsuccessful because the bleeding would have been uncontrollable and Jimmy would lose his life.
On Wednesday the neurologist, Dr. Bowen Jiang, consulted with us before his brain surgery. He informed Jimmy there was a high risk that he could lose basic functions – speech, vision, walking – given where the tumor was located. Dr. Jiang had to go through the area of the brain that controls speech in order to remove the tumor. It was the size of a golf ball located deep in his brain pressing against the Cerebellum, which controls movement and balance. It was the most terrifying feeling for Jimmy not knowing if he was going to be able to function normally after surgery. There were two neurosurgeons working on him for five hours. I finally got the phone call that the surgery was done and the doctors were able to remove all of the tumor! It was the best news ever. Dr Jiang said it was a Hemangioblastoma tumor which are slow growing in the central nervous system and are very rare.
Right after surgery Jimmy was able to say his name, name the hospital he was at, and knew he had just came out of surgery. It was so incredible and we are all so grateful!! As I sit next to him while writing this, I know Jimmy is just beginning a long and difficult recovery. He is the toughest man I know with a heart of gold. He didn't get his nickname "The Tank" for no reason!
He will be in ICU until hopefully Monday or Tuesday, depending on how his post-op recovery goes. He is in excruciating pain while trying to control nausea, vomiting, and high blood pressure. It will take some time for the brain swelling to subside. He started Physical and Occupational therapy yesterday which went well. With some time and effort, he was able to get out of bed and on to the chair and sit upright for 15 minutes. He will also be starting speech therapy soon.
Jimmy will be unable to work for an extended period. I really won't know for how long until we get further down the road. Jimmy and I are unsure how all of this will impact us financially. It’s a concern I try to distract from Jimmy because he must focus on his recovery and health. Still, we understand the reality and potential impact on our family, so we felt it necessary to set up a GoFundMe account. Jimmy and I are deeply appreciative and we thank you in advance for any contribution you may be able to help us with. And, if you are unable to contribute financially we certainly understand and we appreciate your prayers and positive thoughts.
Lastly, I want to take this opportunity to thank our family and friends who have been there since the onset. I cannot begin to tell you how much your love, support, and assistance has meant to me. So on behalf of Jimmy, Hudson, Brenden, Melanie and myself, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Organizer
Stephanie Garry
Organizer
La Mirada, CA