Joshua Coles- Recovery and Healing
Donation protected
As many of you know, my brother Joshua Coles was diagnosed with a brain tumor and underwent surgery to remove it. In February, Josh was undergoing physical therapy for what he thought was an injured knee. Amazingly, his physical therapist (to whom he truly owes his life) told him that she didn't think it was physical at all, and recommended he get an MRI. On March 14th, Josh had the MRI, and was told by his doctor on March 20th that he had a tumor approximately the size of a grapefruit in his brain. With great urgency, he was referred to Massachussetts General Hospital where they removed the tumor (which Josh named 'Bob') on April 4th, the same day as he and his wife's wedding Anniversary. 
Meet 'Bob'.
The surgery went well, with 99% of the tumor being removed. The remaining 1% was left untouched due to its proximity to his brain stem. Josh's recovery from surgery was nothing short of remarkable, with a few challenges along the way. Josh and his wife Jen, along with our father Max, returned to Mass General on Friday the 14th for a follow-up with the Oncologists and to remove the 34 staples from his head. While we had all hoped to be told that the tumor was benign, it was not.
Post Surgery.
The malignant tumor is classified as a level 4 Gliobastoma, but fortunately, Josh has specific mutations that are beneficial to his recovery (IDH mutant, (R132C) for you medical folks), and his medical team believes with treatment they can stop it in its tracks.
In two weeks, Josh will begin 6 weeks of radiation treatment, followed by 6 months of Chemotherapy. At the same time, he has begun a very strict, zero sugar, vegetarian diet which has excellent cancer fighting properties. His wife, Jennifer, is a long time vegetarian and helped her sister recover from cancer using this diet. We believe using multiple angles of attack, with Josh's strength and will, he will beat this.
We wish to thank all of you who have sent your prayers, positive thoughts and energy, and love. We were truly blown away by the outpouring of love and support, and I believe you all helped him through his surgery.
Josh and Jennifer are by no means people to seek charity, but as I explained to them, this is precisely what sites like GoFundMe were setup for. with thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses, a major medical event like this can bankrupt people. Thus far, here are some of the expenses they have already paid for or will have coming up in Josh's recovery:
Hospital/Surgical bills, lost wages, travel expenses, alternative treatments, physical therapy, occupational therapy, chemotherapy, radiation, naturopathic treatments.
If you feel so inclined, I would greatly appreciate whatever donation you can make towards our goal. Josh will be returning to work soon, but the radiation and chemo may cause him to lose more days and income. Their copay alone is $4000, which will roll into another $4000 in the next cycle, which overlaps his treatment plan.
My hope is that we can raise the full $10,000, to help Josh and Jen focus on what is most important: Josh's full and expedient recovery, and kicking what's left of 'Bob' to the curb.
Thank you all, and God Bless you for all that you have done for Josh and his family.
If you have any further questions, feel free to ask me (Travis Harold Coles) on facebook messenger, or feel free to message Josh or Jen too.
Meet 'Bob'. The surgery went well, with 99% of the tumor being removed. The remaining 1% was left untouched due to its proximity to his brain stem. Josh's recovery from surgery was nothing short of remarkable, with a few challenges along the way. Josh and his wife Jen, along with our father Max, returned to Mass General on Friday the 14th for a follow-up with the Oncologists and to remove the 34 staples from his head. While we had all hoped to be told that the tumor was benign, it was not.
Post Surgery.The malignant tumor is classified as a level 4 Gliobastoma, but fortunately, Josh has specific mutations that are beneficial to his recovery (IDH mutant, (R132C) for you medical folks), and his medical team believes with treatment they can stop it in its tracks.
In two weeks, Josh will begin 6 weeks of radiation treatment, followed by 6 months of Chemotherapy. At the same time, he has begun a very strict, zero sugar, vegetarian diet which has excellent cancer fighting properties. His wife, Jennifer, is a long time vegetarian and helped her sister recover from cancer using this diet. We believe using multiple angles of attack, with Josh's strength and will, he will beat this.
We wish to thank all of you who have sent your prayers, positive thoughts and energy, and love. We were truly blown away by the outpouring of love and support, and I believe you all helped him through his surgery.
Josh and Jennifer are by no means people to seek charity, but as I explained to them, this is precisely what sites like GoFundMe were setup for. with thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses, a major medical event like this can bankrupt people. Thus far, here are some of the expenses they have already paid for or will have coming up in Josh's recovery:
Hospital/Surgical bills, lost wages, travel expenses, alternative treatments, physical therapy, occupational therapy, chemotherapy, radiation, naturopathic treatments.
If you feel so inclined, I would greatly appreciate whatever donation you can make towards our goal. Josh will be returning to work soon, but the radiation and chemo may cause him to lose more days and income. Their copay alone is $4000, which will roll into another $4000 in the next cycle, which overlaps his treatment plan.
My hope is that we can raise the full $10,000, to help Josh and Jen focus on what is most important: Josh's full and expedient recovery, and kicking what's left of 'Bob' to the curb.
Thank you all, and God Bless you for all that you have done for Josh and his family.
If you have any further questions, feel free to ask me (Travis Harold Coles) on facebook messenger, or feel free to message Josh or Jen too.
Organizer and beneficiary
Travis Harold Coles
Organizer
Savannah, GA
Joshua Coles
Beneficiary