Leslie’s trip to Italy

I don’t know really where to start so I’ll just start from the beginning for those of you that don’t know.

This past July, my mom experienced what she understood as an ocular migraine after consulting her doctor about her bizarre symptoms. On February 7th, she experienced her second ocular migraine but this time with a a partial blind spot in her vision that took 20 minutes to return back to normal. The very next day, February 8th, she experienced yet another ocular migraine with visual disturbances while driving into work. This prompted concern and she contacted her doctor to which her doctor sent her over to get a CT scan of her head. Before leaving the building the radiologist called and said that she would need to go to Albany Med immediately as they discovered she had 2 masses in her brain, and they were afraid she would lose her vision. At Albany Med they performed further testing, where she stayed over night and awoke the next day to hear the game plan that she was going to have brain surgery to remove the malignant tumor on the 14th, only 5 days after learning about her tumors.

After her successful surgery where they removed all of the tumor, she was told that it was a high grade astrocytoma. Her blind spot still remains and is expected to stay, and she is adapting to every day tasks and no longer being able to drive. During the procedure her medical team placed a chemo wafer in her brain to jump start the treatment she now required, following up with chemotherapy and radiation for 6 weeks, 5 days a week. She is currently now at her halfway mark with that treatment. She is so strong. Due to the type and grade of tumor, the future is very uncertain. The doctors say it will most likely return, which would require a possible second brain surgery and further chemotherapy and radiation.

My mom is the most important thing in this world to me which is why I’m doing this for her. She is the most selfless, caring and genuine person I know. My mom has always put everyone else’s needs before her own no matter the circumstance. She is known for always making people feel loved, special and important. Most people also know her for her killer baking skills. If anyone I know deserves this, it’s her. She has always had one thing on her bucket list to do in her life that was most important and that is to visit the land of her ancestors. Italy. I am creating this fund because I want to make sure that she is able to do everything and anything that she wants to do there. I know that this would make her so happy, and I’m so sure that all the people she’s touched in this life can help me make this dream of hers come true.