Uncle Mike Fights Brain Cancer

On Monday, March 21st, my mom received a phone call from Mike's employer that he had been in an accident. He had lost consciousness and fell off the back of a large box truck, sustaining a minor head injury, a punctured lung, and many broken ribs. While that wasn't enough, we later found out that the brain scan done while he was in the ER revealed a large, cancerous tumor. A biopsy was done within the week, where we learned that the tumor was Stage 4 Glioblastoma and inoperable.

 

Since his fall on March 21st, my bear of a brother and beloved uncle to my two kids has struggled to walk, communicate his needs and wishes beyond simple yes and no responses, or perform daily activities we all take for granted. Although he can't communicate well, he is aware of the situation...and fortunately still has a great sense of humor and laughs when we make jokes. He also smiles when he sees my kids or his kitty, Maxine.

 

Unfortunately, the medical bills and needs he has are piling up very quickly. He was in the hospital for several weeks before being admitted to a nursing facility. My mom and brother Jon stayed with him every day for nearly two months - living out of hotel rooms at night and staying with Mike during the day. Two months of hotel bills, on top of the medical bills Mike incurred, are staggering.

 

In April, we made the hard decision that we would bring Mike home to live with my mom and stepdad in Illinois. Mike has lived in Mansfield, Ohio for nearly his entire life and has worked at the same job for 22 years. Little did anyone know that on March 21st, he would never be able to return to the job he loved.

 

In mid-May, we were finally able to bring him home to live with my mom in Illinois, but he will still need regular in-home health care services to help with bathing, physical therapy, speech therapy, etc. My mom's home is also not accessible so we've already incurred over $30,000 in in-home modifications to build a ramp and make the bathroom handicap accessible. We'll also need to purchase or lease an accessible van to transport him to and from medical appointments. He's already undergone one round of chemo and radiation, but this will continue on and off for the foreseeable future...which means the medical bills will keep piling up.

 

We hope to keep Mike as comfortable as possible for as long as possible, but we need help to ease the burden and stress on our family, even if it's just the financial burden. Thank you for reading this story and we appreciate any support you can provide.

 

-Theresa (Mike's baby sister)