Roen Family Fundraiser

David Roen was diagnosed with grade 4 Glioblastoma Multiforme (brain cancer) on October 31st, 2016, after suffering a seizure at home. He had awith resection of the tumor from the left temporal lobe, followed by 6 weeks of radiation and 8 weeks of chemo. Chemotherapy continued monthly for 18 months. Dave was doing well for several months post chemo. Until April 2019 then upon routine MRI they found another tumor on the Right Temporal Lobe. It is very rare for GBM to cross hemispheres as it usually will come back to the same primary location. A biopsy was performed, again confirming another GBM. This tumor was unfortunately inoperable. Dave restarted the initial chemotherapy he had done before, along with another infusion medication to help starve the tumor and aid in chemo working better. In December of 2019, there was evidence of tumor progression, meaning this chemo was no longer working. It was decided that Dave would try an alternative chemotherapy which was delivered intra-arterial to the brain via an angiogram type procedure. This meant Dave had to be in the hospital for each treatment for several days, every 3.5 weeks. Dave completed 3 cycles of this chemotherapy along with continued infusions. His next scan revealed yet another tumor in the right side of the brain, so Dave completed a procedure called Gamma Knife- an intense, precise radiation directly to the tumor site. At the next scan it showed that neither tumor had responded much to treatment. There was only one more chemotherapy that could be tried. Dave completed one round of this chemo and it proved ineffective. With having exhausted all efforts to control Dave's cancer, it was time for hospice. Dave entered hospice on June 29th, 2020. Since then Dave has continued to decline. He has lost all short term memory. For the last 6 weeks he can no longer take care of himself independently. He cannot walk or stand, he is no longer eating, and is  needing 24/7 care from his wife and his sister along with hospice staff. It is estimated Dave only has a week or two remaining.

Over the course of 3.5 years Dave endured:

2 craniotomies

30 rounds of radiation

23 cycles of Temzolomide (chemo)

13 rounds of Avastin infusions

3 rounds of Intra-arterial Carboplatin (chemo)

1 Gamma Knife Procedure

1 round of Lomustine (chemo)

30 MRIs

1 Port placement

Countless blood draws and genetic tests

 

 

Dave is leaving behind a wife of 17 years and their 9 year old son. It has been a devastating 3.5 years watching their beloved husband and father fight the hardest fight anyone can endure. Dave's wife Anna has had to cut back on hours at work due to needing to care for her husband. There are still some medical bills, along with daily living expenses, home repairs and maintenance, along with care needed for their son as the school year starts. Anna will be returning to work, however, there will be a loss of income with Dave's passing. Funds collected will help with daily living expenses, karate fees for Keelan, and home maintenance during this tough time. Thank you all for your loving support of this family.