Amy's Medical Fund
Donazione protetta
Amy's story: the beginning of a difficult journey
On Monday, May 25th (Memorial Day), Amy had trouble getting out of bed. She kept telling Derrick "just 15 more minutes" from early morning to afternoon. Then she began vomiting every hour and had difficulty walking. Accompanying this was a terrible headache. Mom and dad came to help Amy and Derrick out, and Amy told them that she just wanted to sleep. Finally, Derrick got Amy up and showered (she insisted on the shower), and brought her to the emergency room. The on-call doctor decided she needed an MRI. What they found was devastating. Amy had a tumor close to 3 inches in diameter on the rear left hemisphere of her brain. The tumor was so large, it was pushing her brain to the right to make room. They had to decide then if they wanted it removed, and really there was no other option. Brain surgery was scheduled for the following morning at 9:30.
Surrounded by her loved ones Tuesday morning, kind and beautiful Amy thanked everyone for being there. She even apologized for causing so much concern and worry. We hid our tears to be strong for Amy. (Though the hugs and kisses from her little boys made it impossible not to cry openly). Amy was then wheeled away on a hospital bed for 5 hours of brain surgery. The surgeon was able to remove about 90% of the tumor, leaving behind a bit of the tumor as it was entwined with normal brain tissue.
Awaiting the surgeon to hear how the surgery went was sickening. We all sat in quiet bewilderment. Still in shock. You never think something like this could happen to your husband or wife, son or daughter, sister or brother, mother or father, or any loved one - until it does. Initially, the pathologist and the neurosurgeon agreed that the tumor was "very aggressive and most likely malignant." Upon further testing by the pathologist, he retracted that claim and now believes it to be benign. The tissue has been sent to the University of Iowa for conclusive testing. Once we have the results, further treatment will be discussed between radiology, oncology, and pathology. It's possible Amy will not need chemotherapy or radiation treatment after all. We are hopeful.
Amy is strong. The nurses keep commenting on how strong she is. Because the tumor was on the left side of her brain, her coordination on her right side has been affected, along with her speech. On day one post-op, she was having difficulty moving her right side and finding the right words to say. It's obvious Amy is very frustrated with her speech, but she is making leaps and bounds in progress and will be back to talking and walking in no time.
Brain tumor, benign, malignant, chemotherapy, radiation therapy - words no one ever wants to associate with a loved one.
Amy and her family have a long and difficult journey to recovery ahead. Their double income will now only be a single income, and maybe not even that as Derrick supports Amy during her rehabilitation, and takes on sole responsibility of raising their two young boys, Ryker - 8 (soon to be 9 on June 8!), and Trevin - 7. On top of the day to day expenses, as anyone living in the U.S. well knows, medical bills are expensive! Please consider helping the Epstein family by contributing anything you can. Your donation will go towards the medical expenses, and will help with their food and bills. This will allow Amy and Derrick to focus on what's really important - getting healthy and kicking this brain tumor's butt!
On Monday, May 25th (Memorial Day), Amy had trouble getting out of bed. She kept telling Derrick "just 15 more minutes" from early morning to afternoon. Then she began vomiting every hour and had difficulty walking. Accompanying this was a terrible headache. Mom and dad came to help Amy and Derrick out, and Amy told them that she just wanted to sleep. Finally, Derrick got Amy up and showered (she insisted on the shower), and brought her to the emergency room. The on-call doctor decided she needed an MRI. What they found was devastating. Amy had a tumor close to 3 inches in diameter on the rear left hemisphere of her brain. The tumor was so large, it was pushing her brain to the right to make room. They had to decide then if they wanted it removed, and really there was no other option. Brain surgery was scheduled for the following morning at 9:30.
Surrounded by her loved ones Tuesday morning, kind and beautiful Amy thanked everyone for being there. She even apologized for causing so much concern and worry. We hid our tears to be strong for Amy. (Though the hugs and kisses from her little boys made it impossible not to cry openly). Amy was then wheeled away on a hospital bed for 5 hours of brain surgery. The surgeon was able to remove about 90% of the tumor, leaving behind a bit of the tumor as it was entwined with normal brain tissue.
Awaiting the surgeon to hear how the surgery went was sickening. We all sat in quiet bewilderment. Still in shock. You never think something like this could happen to your husband or wife, son or daughter, sister or brother, mother or father, or any loved one - until it does. Initially, the pathologist and the neurosurgeon agreed that the tumor was "very aggressive and most likely malignant." Upon further testing by the pathologist, he retracted that claim and now believes it to be benign. The tissue has been sent to the University of Iowa for conclusive testing. Once we have the results, further treatment will be discussed between radiology, oncology, and pathology. It's possible Amy will not need chemotherapy or radiation treatment after all. We are hopeful.
Amy is strong. The nurses keep commenting on how strong she is. Because the tumor was on the left side of her brain, her coordination on her right side has been affected, along with her speech. On day one post-op, she was having difficulty moving her right side and finding the right words to say. It's obvious Amy is very frustrated with her speech, but she is making leaps and bounds in progress and will be back to talking and walking in no time.
Brain tumor, benign, malignant, chemotherapy, radiation therapy - words no one ever wants to associate with a loved one.
Amy and her family have a long and difficult journey to recovery ahead. Their double income will now only be a single income, and maybe not even that as Derrick supports Amy during her rehabilitation, and takes on sole responsibility of raising their two young boys, Ryker - 8 (soon to be 9 on June 8!), and Trevin - 7. On top of the day to day expenses, as anyone living in the U.S. well knows, medical bills are expensive! Please consider helping the Epstein family by contributing anything you can. Your donation will go towards the medical expenses, and will help with their food and bills. This will allow Amy and Derrick to focus on what's really important - getting healthy and kicking this brain tumor's butt!
Organizzatore
Angela Timms
Organizzatore
Sioux Falls, SD