Support Robert's Battle Against Brain Cancer

My name is Danielle, and my husband has brain cancer. We have been married for 22 years and have five beautiful children. My husband, Robert, was diagnosed with Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma (PCNSL) in June 2024.

It started with us thinking he had bell's palsy (self-diagnosed) from a bad tooth infection because he was experiencing facial paralysis on his right side. He had also lost hearing in the right ear about a month before which was diagnosed in the ER as glue ear, but later we figured was related to his presumed bell's palsy. After a month of facial paralysis, he started getting very dizzy to where he couldn't drive and had trouble walking. That's when we finally went back to the ER.

The doctors thought he might be having a stroke, especially since he had had a stroke in October of 2023 which left him with permanent tingling on his left side. The MRI showed a tumor in his cerebellum, and he was transferred to another hospital where a craniotomy was performed to remove the mass. The biopsies taken during surgery showed no signs of cancer (Yay!) and the surgeon was very hopeful. Only 3-4 very small lesions remained on the brain. However, when the pathology came back, we received a diagnosis of CNS Lymphoma. He immediately started chemotherapy with high dose methotrexate. To date, he has received 4 cycles of treatment. We are waiting to be evaluated for stem-cell transplant. He has tolerated the methotrexate pretty well so far but has recently lost most of his hearing, has become more confused, and has increased difficulty with balance. I'm hoping this is all late onset side effects of chemo. He has a brain MRI coming up so we shall see if the cancer is already back or not.

Did you know that this is Robert's THIRD cancer? In 2021, he was diagnosed with kidney cancer and had a partial nephrectomy to remove a renal cell carcinoma. Also, in 2022 he had surgery to remove an early melanoma on his shoulder. Actually, in the past several years, Robert has been riddled with medical issues.

His health started its slow decline in 2018 when he started losing a lot of weight, getting very dizzy, and sleeping a lot. We assumed it was a vitamin deficiency and boy were we right! When we finally went to the doctor, they ordered blood work and when it came back, they frantically contacted us and advised us to go to the ER immediately. Robert barely made it into the hospital before he collapsed. He had pernicious anemia and needed 3 blood transfusions. For the rest of his life, he requires B-12 injections since his body can no longer process it through his stomach. This was the beginning.

Since 2018, Robert has had pancreatitis, gallbladder removal along with laparoscopy to remove gall stones, diabetes, high blood pressure and hypothyroidism. Speaking of hypothyroidism, Robert actually has a mass the size of a lemon on his thyroid. He was being referred for thyroid surgery when he was diagnosed with brain cancer, so as it stands he is also in need of thyroid surgery. We had a biopsy done on the tyroid and it came back benign for thyroid cancer, but there is still a chance that there is cancer on the thyroid. We won't know for sure until it is removed so possibly a fourth cancer?

To say we have struggled these last few years in the UNDERSTATEMENT OF MY LIFE. We lost most of our business during the 2020 pandemic. We lost almost everything the years following until this year. Things were starting to turn around. We were finally digging our way out of the hole until June. BRAIN CANCER.

As a wife I want to support Robert as best I can and cherish every moment we have with him. As a mother, I worry what it will look like for me and my kids if Robert loses this battle. We're not ready. What do I do? I know Robert will spend what remains of his strength trying to get us some sort of financial stability, but can he? Rent is high, very high. I have thought about getting a job but after 22 years out of the workforce I would start at the bottom. And I will when the time comes. I will claw my way out of the gutter for my family but for now, I help continue to Robert with his work since that would be the most profitable. It's a catch 22 for me.

I'm hoping with this GoFundMe, that we can raise money to go towards rent, bills, and gas for traveling to and from appointments. If you have made it this far, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading our story and for your kind generosity. My God bless you and may God heal cancer.