John and Lena Upton Medical Fund

John and Lena Upton Medical Fund

August 1, 2023

Dear Family, Friends, and Supporters,

Thank you for the outpouring of prayers and support for John and his family during this difficult time. We have been joyfully overwhelmed with the amount of calls, texts, emails, and even snail mail we’ve received from those offering words of encouragement and help in any way possible. We know many of you would like to assist financially, so we’ve created this page to facilitate that. But first, please allow me to tell John’s story:

John Upton is one of the most unique people I have ever met! From hiking the Appalachian Trail to teaching English in Russia, John has experienced countless adventures. His current journey though, is one that no one should ever have to go through.

At the beginning of June, the day after turning 30 years old, John discovered he had a tumor growing in the right frontal lobe of his brain. Within the next couple of days, he was admitted to Houston Methodist Hospital where he underwent tests to determine the next steps. For nearly a month, Houston became home for John, Lena (his wife), Isabella (his then 6 week old daughter), and various family members. John’s daughter Emily was also able to visit multiple times, even receiving a special stuffed animal from the hospital gift shop on her second birthday. In addition to medical bills, Lena and her girls endured the cost of living within the confines of a hospital in a big city.

As test results continued to offer more insight into the nature of the tumor, the medical team formed a treatment plan. At the hands of an excellent surgeon, John’s tumor was successfully removed! Unfortunately, due to the removal of a tumor of this great size and nature, John experienced substantial cognitive regression and still needs to restore much of his physical strength.

John began to heal physically from the surgery, and the family waited in anticipation for the results of the biopsy. After some recovery time, John was healthy enough to move to the rehabilitation floor of the hospital, where he received physical, occupational, and speech therapy services. As John pressed on with rehab, more test results came in. The doctors confirmed that John’s tumor is a high grade IDH-mutant glioma.

Even though more information wouldn’t come for several more days, enough had been revealed for the beginnings of the next phase of his treatment plan. Throughout his inpatient rehabilitation, John made great strides in regaining his physical strength. The cognitive deficits, however, have proven to be a much bigger hurdle. In the middle of July, John began an outpatient cognitive therapy program in Baton Rouge, which is expected to last for at least 10 weeks. He will also receive radiation and chemotherapy treatments in Baton Rouge, starting in August.

While John continues to push through four hours of therapy in the mornings and extra practice with Lena in the afternoons, the family was yet again awaiting a more definitive pathology report. Finally, the doctors were able to offer a more conclusive diagnosis of a specific glioma: grade 4 astrocytoma, IDH mutant. This particular form of brain cancer offers no cure, but does respond to treatment. As one can imagine, these treatments, coupled with the rehabilitation therapy, can be costly.

During John’s transition from Houston to Baton Rouge, he was able to come home to Boyce/Alexandria for a few days. Little sister Isabella was baptized, and big sister Emily got to blow out some birthday candles! Almost every one of John’s parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews, and a few friends were able to celebrate- a welcome bit of normalcy amidst the uncertainty of the future. It’s these seemingly small miracles from our loving Father and the support from all of you that makes this long and treacherous road ahead seem possible. We can’t thank you enough for your concerns, thoughts, prayers, and generosity!

In appreciation,

The family and friends of John Upton