Steve's Surgery for a Brain Tumor

Hello friends and family of Steve and Amanda…

We are Amanda’s sisters (Jasmine, Amber, Mia and Autumn) and we are here to share their story. We will be here to help facilitate your support for Steve and Amanda before, during and after Steve’s surgery in January.

We are thankful for you and are available to answer any questions you might have and/or to just pass along love and support to Steve and Amanda during this time.

Here’s the gist of what’s going on (in Steve’s words):

During a follow up visit in September to monitor on-going disc issues, doctors discovered an acoustic neuroma . Acoustic neuromas, also known as vestibular schwannoma, are noncancerous and usually are slow-growing tumors that develop on the main nerve leading from your inner ear to your brain. Given the size of the tumor (3.6 cm) and my age, the wait and observe practice is not an option, and therefore, surgery is the recommended path forward.

Surgery is set for January 3rd:

I will have surgery to remove the tumor on January 3rd. The primary option for my specific case will remove the tumor completely but unfortunately leave me with complete hearing loss in my left ear.

While there is a general outlook for recovery, it is different for everyone. There is a hope that my brain and body have already been compensating for the effects of this tumor for years. If that is true, it should make some parts of recovery easier, but that is a complete unknown. One of the unknowns about the recovery is how I will adjust to the loss of hearing. I will be going into the surgery with almost perfect hearing on both sides and leaving with just the right. That adjustment will be a lot. There are aspects of the balance that can be affected by this loss, but the sensory affects and processing noise will likely be the main challenges.

Post Op:

With all that, my goal is to put as much as I can into rehab. This is the time where most of the financial burden will take place. After surgery I will need to spend 2-4 weeks away from my kids. The first two weeks specific to my physical recovery and second two specific to adjusting to the hearing, and that will be easier without the chaotic kid noise around.

After surgery I will be doing therapy specific to my inner ear and balance, as well as training with a brain based nervous system specialist for 3-6 months. Alternative therapies are also highly recommended by other patients who have undergone the same surgery.

As I have shared the news, I have been overwhelmed by the generosity and willingness to help by the amazing community around my family and I. Everyone is asking what they can do to help.

How you can help me and my family:

1. My #1 request is for prayer.

2. Financially:

With the hospital/medical bills, accommodations post-op and rehab post-op we think it will be about $18,000 on the low end to meet all general needs beyond our general cost of living. If I were to pursue a fully aggressive recovery for 3-6 months with alternative therapies, it will likely exceed $30,000 when all said and done.

As stated, prayer is primary, and there is never enough, for my family and me. From there, if you wish to participate in my recovery then please do but feel no obligation. No matter what, regardless of the amount of money raised, I will get after this recovery because of the unbelievable community around me and my incredibly amazing family. This wouldn’t be as easy as it has been thus far without the love of my life by my side and my two boys to keep me going strong! (insert really aggressive and loud roar of a lion)

Thank you,

Steve

*** stay updated on how Steve’s recovery is going at LaneFamilyRecovery.Wordpress.com***