Lost Battle with Glioblastoma
Donation protected
Drafted by May Rocha
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May 25, 2018 was the day our lives changed forever. Although Mike and I did not have definite plans for the weekend, we were excited to spend Memorial Day weekend together somewhere nice maybe down the shore or by the pool. Mike and I always decided our weekend on a whim. However, before we started this particular weekend, Mike had a scheduled MRI. He had been experiencing numbness in his right arm and then suddenly started to have trouble reading. I was not going to accompany him to his MRI at first but at the last minute I changed my mind. Shortly after leaving the imaging center, we decided to stop by his parent’s house for a quick visit. The imaging center was located directly down the hill from where his parents live. Within the hour of our visit there was a knock at the front door. It was the tech from the imaging place letting us knows they have been calling Mike for the past 20 minutes (Mike's phone had been off ringer) but have not heard back from him. They said he needed to call his neurologist as soon as possible. Mike calls his neurologist and she lets him know the images captured a mass on the left side of his brain. He needed to get himself to Overlook Hospital as soon as he could, there would be a room waiting for him. In a panic, I drove him to the hospital. Little did we know we would not leave the hospital for another 8 days.
On Tuesday, May 29th Mike had a successful resection of a Grade 4 Glioblastoma Tumor. The tumor was putting pressure on a part of Mike's brain that impacted the sensation on his right side and speech. He endured chemotherapy and 30 sessions of radiation in addition to visiting the hospital every 2 months for an MRI. That summer he attended physical and cognitive therapy to help regain any loss of functions due to the surgery. Everything was going well until at the end of the summer, an MRI found some fluid that filled the cavity of where the tumor once was. So Mike had a small procedure to remove the liquid and a week later, Mike was back to work full time! He went to work everyday and took his regular scheduled chemotherapy at the same time.
On May 18, 2019, Michael and I celebrated our marriage. For us this was not only a celebration of our love, but a celebration that Mike had 1 year of clear scans. A couple weeks after our wedding, Mike started to re-feel symptoms of weakness in his right leg and arm. An MRI determined that he has had a reoccurrence and would need a third surgery. At the time I had just started a new job so I requested to have off just one day so I could be in the hospital with Mike. His surgery was successful and he recovered at his parent’s house while I went to work my new job. This surgery took the biggest toll on him. Radiation left him exhausted, more exhausted than the first time. He slowly started to lose mobility of his right arm and right leg. He used a cane to help him move around and had trouble going up stairs. This time around, he was not able to return to work after the summer. Two weeks into September, Mike suffered a mild seizure that set him back in any recovery he was making. The seizure resulted in impairing his speech. By the end of October, Mike was only using a few words to communicate and by end of December his speech was down to 3 words.
Mike's last MRI was on December 26, 2019 and the scans showed significant growth and the doctors gave Mike 2 to 3 months to live. Mike said if he was not able to walk into the hospital after this visit, he never wanted to come back. So Mike made the choice of discontinuing chemotherapy and decided to spend his last months at home. I took a personal leave of absence from my job in January but was only granted 30 days with the option to resign since I did not qualify for FMLA at my new employment. On March 1, 2020, Mike passed peacefully, with his family by his side.
Being home with Mike was an absolute gift and I have no regrets leaving my job. D&B has been such a great company supporting us in our time of need. This fund is to help with living expenses and medical bills. The goal is just an estimate but anything would help to diminish any financial burdens we (my son, Rachael and I) may face as I begin the search for employment. Thank you for taking the time to read Michael's story.
Obituary can be found in the link below:
https://bradleyfuneralhomes.com/michael-steven-neer/
*****************************
May 25, 2018 was the day our lives changed forever. Although Mike and I did not have definite plans for the weekend, we were excited to spend Memorial Day weekend together somewhere nice maybe down the shore or by the pool. Mike and I always decided our weekend on a whim. However, before we started this particular weekend, Mike had a scheduled MRI. He had been experiencing numbness in his right arm and then suddenly started to have trouble reading. I was not going to accompany him to his MRI at first but at the last minute I changed my mind. Shortly after leaving the imaging center, we decided to stop by his parent’s house for a quick visit. The imaging center was located directly down the hill from where his parents live. Within the hour of our visit there was a knock at the front door. It was the tech from the imaging place letting us knows they have been calling Mike for the past 20 minutes (Mike's phone had been off ringer) but have not heard back from him. They said he needed to call his neurologist as soon as possible. Mike calls his neurologist and she lets him know the images captured a mass on the left side of his brain. He needed to get himself to Overlook Hospital as soon as he could, there would be a room waiting for him. In a panic, I drove him to the hospital. Little did we know we would not leave the hospital for another 8 days.
On Tuesday, May 29th Mike had a successful resection of a Grade 4 Glioblastoma Tumor. The tumor was putting pressure on a part of Mike's brain that impacted the sensation on his right side and speech. He endured chemotherapy and 30 sessions of radiation in addition to visiting the hospital every 2 months for an MRI. That summer he attended physical and cognitive therapy to help regain any loss of functions due to the surgery. Everything was going well until at the end of the summer, an MRI found some fluid that filled the cavity of where the tumor once was. So Mike had a small procedure to remove the liquid and a week later, Mike was back to work full time! He went to work everyday and took his regular scheduled chemotherapy at the same time.
On May 18, 2019, Michael and I celebrated our marriage. For us this was not only a celebration of our love, but a celebration that Mike had 1 year of clear scans. A couple weeks after our wedding, Mike started to re-feel symptoms of weakness in his right leg and arm. An MRI determined that he has had a reoccurrence and would need a third surgery. At the time I had just started a new job so I requested to have off just one day so I could be in the hospital with Mike. His surgery was successful and he recovered at his parent’s house while I went to work my new job. This surgery took the biggest toll on him. Radiation left him exhausted, more exhausted than the first time. He slowly started to lose mobility of his right arm and right leg. He used a cane to help him move around and had trouble going up stairs. This time around, he was not able to return to work after the summer. Two weeks into September, Mike suffered a mild seizure that set him back in any recovery he was making. The seizure resulted in impairing his speech. By the end of October, Mike was only using a few words to communicate and by end of December his speech was down to 3 words.
Mike's last MRI was on December 26, 2019 and the scans showed significant growth and the doctors gave Mike 2 to 3 months to live. Mike said if he was not able to walk into the hospital after this visit, he never wanted to come back. So Mike made the choice of discontinuing chemotherapy and decided to spend his last months at home. I took a personal leave of absence from my job in January but was only granted 30 days with the option to resign since I did not qualify for FMLA at my new employment. On March 1, 2020, Mike passed peacefully, with his family by his side.
Being home with Mike was an absolute gift and I have no regrets leaving my job. D&B has been such a great company supporting us in our time of need. This fund is to help with living expenses and medical bills. The goal is just an estimate but anything would help to diminish any financial burdens we (my son, Rachael and I) may face as I begin the search for employment. Thank you for taking the time to read Michael's story.
Obituary can be found in the link below:
https://bradleyfuneralhomes.com/michael-steven-neer/
Organizer and beneficiary
Jennifer Rocha
Organizer
Springfield, NJ
May Rocha
Beneficiary