Support Liam Whelan's Second Brain Surgery

Dear Family, Friends and Kind Supporters,

We are reaching out to ask for your help on behalf of our wonderful son and brother, Liam Whelan.

Anyone who knows Liam knows what a smart and fun and loving guy he is. He has the most infectious smile and laugh and is always a cup half full type of guy. He loves a good stand up comedy, loves to cook, travel and hang out with family, friends and his girlfriend Mary Taylor.

About 8 years ago when attending college at UCSC Liam experienced his first major epileptic seizure and was taken to the emergency room. After many doctors visits, MRI's and tests, he was finally diagnosed with a rare condition called Hypothalamic Hamartoma (aka HH). This is a benign (non-cancerous) tumor-like growth in the hypothalamus area of the brain. This condition can cause all sorts of complications including serious seizures.

For years Liam was treated with medication to get the seizures under control and although medication helped somewhat, the seizures never completely went away. After many months of review, the group of medical professionals on Liam's case all agreed surgery was the next step. So, in December of last year of 2023 Liam had his first brain surgery to remove the tumor. Unfortunately, the surgeon was not able to remove the pea size tumor completely so now Liam must undergo brain surgery 2.0!

This time Liam is under the care of a world-renowned neurosurgeon from Texas Children's Hospital who is responsible for developing the MR-guided laser ablation surgery that is the best protocol for this condition. Along with this immensely qualified surgeon and Liam's strong support community of family and friends, we are very optimistic for a successful outcome this time around.

Over the past 8 years Liam has faced the challenges of his condition with resilience and optimism. With the new challenges of a second brain surgery our hope is that he can enjoy a peaceful healthy recovery without the pressures of mounting medical bills.

That is why we are fundraising on his behalf.

Though Liam has health insurance through his employer, there has been a long road of expensive out-of-pocket hospital bills, doctors visits, week stays at clinics for testing, and medication. And now with a second brain surgery there will be more bills adding up.

We realize everyone is generous in their own way, so first and foremost we would like to ask for your positive thoughts and encouragement for Liam's December surgery. In addition, we would enormously grateful and appreciate any amount of donations toward his surgery and the costs associated.

The fundraising goal is set at 25k.

All funds will be directly deposited in a bank account for Liam to access.

The funds will go toward past surgery medical bills and the upcoming second brain surgery that will take place in Houston, Texas this December. They will help cover flights, hotel/airbnb extended stays, meals, Pre-Op procedures, out of pocket surgery bills, medications and one or two months time away from work for recovery.

Any funds left over after these costs will be donated to the non-profit organization Hope for Hypothalamic Hamartomas. Hope for HH uses donated funds to support afflicted patients and families, drive education of healthcare professionals, and fund international research for HH treatment. You can learn more about HH on their website here:

https.//www.hopeforHH.org/