As some of you may know, my mom (Julie Flynn) has been diagnosed with Stage 4 (terminal)  Glioblastoma Brain Cancer.

This has come as a shock to all of us, in fact it's still hard to really comprehend the reality of it all. The prognosis for terminal brain cancer is about a 3% chance of survival, with a life span of about 12 months. It is one of the most aggressive and deadliest types of cancer. However, I do believe that miracles happen and my mom can get through this.
We are trying to remain as positive and hopeful as we can, but of course its hard. The tumors have been very aggressive and relentless. She has had two surgeries and will most likely have more to come. My mom just turned 48 years old, this type of cancer usually occurs in people 65 or older, so you can see why were still in shock. She has changed so much, its hard to look at her and think she is the same person; but her spirit and sense of humor are still there, and thats what gives me hope at the end of the day.

After her second surgery, she received a chemotherapy treatment called Avastin, which caused her to not only have internal bleeding, but blood clots in her legs and her lungs. Surgery at this point would be extremely dangerous, so the doctors decided a blood transfusion would be the safest option. The procedure went well, however, the blood clots will take months to dissolve on their own, if they ever do. The scariest part about the blood clots, is that they could move to her heart at any point in time.

Her physical appearance and ability to do simple things has changed drastically in the last few months to the point where she cannot walk, let alone stand up on her own. Her speech has been drastically impacted, and her ability to write or even read is about the same level as a 4 year old. My family and I decided it would be best if she was admitted to a care facility so they could provide the proper care for her. She has been there for a few weeks now, and its not certain when or if she will ever be able to go home.

Since the chemotherapy caused such terrible side effects and nearly killed her with blood clots, she will not continue with the treatment. That was her last option as far as traditional treatment goes; however, there is still hope. Duke University in North Carolina has had a recent breakthrough with their cancer research. After seven years of research, they have invented a type of treatment where they inject Polio (yes, polio) into the brain tumor, which not only paralyzes it from growing, but could even cause the brain tumor to completely disappear. The thought of my mom being able to overcome this deadly disease and actually live a few more years, possibly be cured, is the greatest thing that could happen for my family.

Clinical trials are not free, and insurance does not always cover the the expense, which could be thousands of dollars, sometimes $50,000-200,000. We are going to do everything we can in our power to get her there.

Thank you to anyone who is able to donate even $5, anything helps at this point. If you are not able to donate any money, I completely understand, just keep my mom in your prayers and wish for her to be brought back to good health.

Thank you,
Megan Flynn

 "Its not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving."

- Mother Theresa