Joe's Immune Fund

Hello everybody!

Thank you for taking the time to visit our page and read a little about our story.

My name is Rosie and my husband Joe has recently been diagnosed with an aggresive brain cancer called glioblastoma.

Before the new year, Joe was suffering from terrible headaches for a while and could not find any way to alleviate the pain. Once the holiday craziness settled down, Joe went to get a head scan done at Lasalle Hospital as reccommended by the doctor in order to be certain that these headaches weren't the cause of something serious. Once the scan was done, on our way home, we received a call from the hospital informing us that we had to return to the emergency room without any explanation as to why. All we knew was that we had to come as soon as possible. This is where the panic started to set in. After waiting 6 hours in an emergency room, worrying, and not having anybody tell us why we were here, Joe was finally seen by a doctor. We were told that they had seen some abnormal activity in the scan and wanted to look further into it. He was admitted into the hospital and told an MRI scan would be done first thing in the morning and that he would then be transfered to the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital.

That morning, still at Lasalle Hospital the MRI scan was done and after a long morning of waiting for the results, we were informed that a mass was seen in the MRI scan but thankfully it was nothing to worry about (the mass was apparently beneign). Joe was given medication to prevent seizures and shrink the mass while he patiently waited to hear from a neurologist at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital. Our family and I were thankful about this news and knowing that Joe would have the mass removed.

Unfortunately there was a major turn in events. The Neurologist from the Montreal Neurological Institute called us a week later to set up an appointment to meet with him. Once in the doctor's office, he informed us that Joe would undergo neurosurgery in which the mass would be removed but that there was a secondary mass that was smaller in size which was inoperable. Joe went in for his pre-op on the Wednesday, January 10th, 2018 and was then admitted into surgery on Friday, January 12th, 2018. The surgery was a success thanks to Dr. Petrecca (Neurosurgeon, Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University) who specializes in neurosurgical oncology at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital.

The day after the surgery, while Joe was recovering, Dr. Petracca broke the news to us that no person wants to hear. He informed us that both tumors were malignent. This meant that Joe has Glioblastoma. Dr. Petracca answered all of our questions and concerns and was very helpful in understanding what were the next steps that Joe had to take in order to fight this.

Presently, Joe is undergoing chemotherapy 7 days/week and radiation 5 days/week at the MUHC Glenn. These treatments will all be done in the span of six weeks. After 6 weeks, another MRI scan will be performed in order for the Doctor to help us make the decision of further/stronger treatments if needed and wether or not these treatments worked.

After much research and a success story dear to our hearts, we discovered ISM (Immune System Management Treatment), the main reason we are starting this funding page. This is a treatment that lasts 6 months, during chemotherapy. The center in located in Ottawa and unfortunately these treatments are not covered by health insurance. When a patient undergoes chemotherapy and radiation it attacks both good and bad cells.  "Immune System Management Inc., strengthens the body’s metabolism and balance the immune system to optimize overall health at a cellular level….. a natural path to well-being (ISM - aminomics.com/vision)." We would also like to donate any remainign funds to the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital in Joe's name.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for taking the time to read our story! Thank you to our families and friends who have helped us in any way they could have. We are extremely blessed to have this great support system!

Sincerely,
Joe and Rosie