Bill's Battle

Hi, my name is Jenny. On February 27th my parents, Bill and Jo left for a trip of a lifetime to New Zealand, a hiking and kayaking tour that had been postponed many times over the last three years. A few days into my parents' trip, Bill was stumbling while walking and had a terrible headache. They were able to take him to a nearby clinic. Doctors were concerned with a possible brain bleed and had him helicoptered to a hospital in Dunedin, New Zealand. After a CT scan and two MRIs, he was diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), which is a fast-growing and aggressive brain tumor. Glioblastoma is a diagnosis that hits extremely close to my family. My father-in-law, Kerry passed away three and a half years ago from a seven-month battle with brain cancer.

Bill was able to undergo surgery on March 9th and the neurosurgeons were able to remove a portion of the tumor. Bill's tumor is very large and widespread throughout multiple sections of the brain. During surgery, the tumor was wrapped around vessels and caused a stroke leaving him paralyzed on the left side of his body. Two days later he became unresponsive and had to undergo a craniotomy to remove a portion of his skull to alleviate the swelling. After spending four weeks in the hospital in New Zealand Bill and Jo were able to get a medical transport flight back to Henderson, Nevada on April 4th.

After arrival in Henderson, he had another CT scan and MRI. We met with the neurosurgon and oncologist to make a plan for his treatement. He had a 3D CT scan to get measured for a synthetic bone flap because he would need this back in before starting any chemotherpy and radiation. The goal was to get Bill strong while we wait for the bone flap to be made. Bill was not making progress during physcial therapy sessions at the hospital due to the damage from the stroke. He is still paralyzed on his left side and due to the massive size of his tumor we made a decision to forgo any further medical treatment and have hospice take over so Bill could be comfortable with family at home. To be able to be at home we are needing to hire caregivers to assist with day-to-day care.

We are asking for donations to help support hospital bills, medical supplies, and 24-hour caregivers.

Any monies that are not needed for Bill’s medical care will be donated to the Glioblastoma Foundation or Nathan Adelson Hospice.