Dear family, friends, coworkers, and loved ones:

Thank you for visiting JT’s Cancer Fighting Fundraising!

Donation proceeds will go towards out of pocket costs for all doctor visits, deductibles for long hospital and ICU stays, prescriptions as well as their cost of living and bills.

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JT has been diagnosed with a histologic grade 4 infiltrating astrocytoma, which is an aggressive type of nervous system tumor. 

Yes, you read that right, I mean, huh? What? Really? Yes, really. 

What follows is the detailed account of what’s transpired over the past several weeks:

On March 17th JT was working at the dental school when he collapsed and they believe he had a seizure. He was sent to the ER where they found that he had a brain mass on his right thalamus.

On March 21st he underwent brain surgery for tumor resection. They were able to remove approximately 50-60% of the tumor but could not safely remove it all. After surgery he came out with some left sided weakness but has since improved significantly. He had to undergo several external ventricular drain clamping trials to see how he was regulating his intracranial pressure after the surgery.

Unfortunately he was still having higher pressures so on March 28th underwent another procedure for permanent shunt placement for management of the hydrocephalus.

JT was discharged home on March 29th and has been recovering well.

On April 7th we had JTs follow up to gain all the information on the pathology report that they sent off to the Mayo Clinic. JT was diagnosed with a high grade infiltrating glioma. JT will require chemotherapy and radiation in the coming weeks but we are unsure on full dates at this time. There is a potential that he could be involved in a clinical trial as well in the coming weeks. We appreciate everyone’s prayers and support during this time and are so thankful for the amazing community that JT has around him.

The treatment plan is 6 weeks of chemo and radiation 5x a week. The hope is that the chemo will shrink the what is left of the tumor.

Our intention in sharing the details of JT’s diagnosis is that you can get a sense of what this time has been like for him… “confusing, stressful, sad, shocking, bizarre, and painful”. 

JT is determined to beat this! Despite all of the above (and more), JT plans to endure each treatment, appointment, poke, and prod with strength, positivity, wit, and bravery - with a grounded focus on what has to be done, one day at a time. 

The bills will begin to add up fast, and will continue to pile. As most of you know, JT is a talented dentist and dental instructor just getting started in his career, unfortunately healthcare was hit hard during the pandemic. 2020 to 2022 was a difficult time for work, as it was for everyone.

We’re hoping to alleviate his financial stress so he can focus on staying positive and getting through this aggressive treatment.

By contributing to support JT at this time, you will be contributing to his ability to fight this horrible diagnosis. 

Any funds raised will go towards his ongoing medical care and bills. We will continue to update you on his journey and progress.

Thank you for your generosity and most importantly, your healing thoughts and prayers.

Love you all!

JT and Kayleigh