- J
- J
June 20, 2017.
I received a frantic phone call from my sister as I was commuting home. "You've got to hurry... Mom just called. Dad is having a stroke."
Over the course of the next week, our lives would be forever changed. Only it wasn't a stroke... It was much worse.
Stroke
Atrial Fibrillation
Focal Seizures
Todd’s Paralysis
Brain Lesion
Glioblastoma
Glioblastoma. Or GBM for short… How I would come to despise those three malignant, Stage IV letters over the course of the past 20 months…
GBM is the most deadly form of brain cancer and kills 95% of patients within five years of diagnosis, with more than half dying within the first 18 months after diagnosis. Even though these horrendous statistics were presented to us, my amazing father, Alejandro Esquia, decided to fight. He decided at 59 years old, he would fight. He would literally fight for his life.
During the past 20 months, my father was treated at Moffitt Cancer Center as he valiantly fought for his life. He endured a complicated awake craniotomy followed by multiple rounds of radiation and chemotherapy. During these treatments, he suffered through endless of medical complications to include immobility, a staph infection, continuous edema, RSV, pulmonary blood clots, pneumonia, thyroid nodules, cognitive delays, severe pancreatitis, ileus, and a very rare and fatal fungal infection (called mucormycosis—never heard of it? Nor had we… Google it. Be prepared for the grim prognosis).
Regardless of amazing insurance, copays and deductibles add up VERY quickly. Not just copays and deductibles, but the specialized equipment, unique dietary needs, medical supplies, prolonged hospital stays, intensive therapy sessions, and constructing an ADA-compliant environment so my father could attempt to maintain some quality of life.
On March 1, 2019, Alejandro Esquia valiantly ended his fight against cancer.
While the fight has ended, the steady stream of medical expenses and lingering bills have not. My mother, my father’s wonderful wife of 38 years, is now a grieving widow. She is left to pick of whatever pieces of her life remain in attempts to grieve and heal peacefully. In lieu of flowers, we are asking that donations be made to offset any remaining medical costs and most importantly, to support the ongoing fight to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer.
We are eternally grateful for all of your support as we heal and continue to support the fight for others who are still battling cancer... You are not alone. You are not forgotten.
I received a frantic phone call from my sister as I was commuting home. "You've got to hurry... Mom just called. Dad is having a stroke."
Over the course of the next week, our lives would be forever changed. Only it wasn't a stroke... It was much worse.
Stroke
Atrial Fibrillation
Focal Seizures
Todd’s Paralysis
Brain Lesion
Glioblastoma
Glioblastoma. Or GBM for short… How I would come to despise those three malignant, Stage IV letters over the course of the past 20 months…
GBM is the most deadly form of brain cancer and kills 95% of patients within five years of diagnosis, with more than half dying within the first 18 months after diagnosis. Even though these horrendous statistics were presented to us, my amazing father, Alejandro Esquia, decided to fight. He decided at 59 years old, he would fight. He would literally fight for his life.
During the past 20 months, my father was treated at Moffitt Cancer Center as he valiantly fought for his life. He endured a complicated awake craniotomy followed by multiple rounds of radiation and chemotherapy. During these treatments, he suffered through endless of medical complications to include immobility, a staph infection, continuous edema, RSV, pulmonary blood clots, pneumonia, thyroid nodules, cognitive delays, severe pancreatitis, ileus, and a very rare and fatal fungal infection (called mucormycosis—never heard of it? Nor had we… Google it. Be prepared for the grim prognosis).
Regardless of amazing insurance, copays and deductibles add up VERY quickly. Not just copays and deductibles, but the specialized equipment, unique dietary needs, medical supplies, prolonged hospital stays, intensive therapy sessions, and constructing an ADA-compliant environment so my father could attempt to maintain some quality of life.
On March 1, 2019, Alejandro Esquia valiantly ended his fight against cancer.
While the fight has ended, the steady stream of medical expenses and lingering bills have not. My mother, my father’s wonderful wife of 38 years, is now a grieving widow. She is left to pick of whatever pieces of her life remain in attempts to grieve and heal peacefully. In lieu of flowers, we are asking that donations be made to offset any remaining medical costs and most importantly, to support the ongoing fight to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer.
We are eternally grateful for all of your support as we heal and continue to support the fight for others who are still battling cancer... You are not alone. You are not forgotten.