Rally for Ronnie, Erin and Poppy
Donation protected
This page was started for Ronnie Krensel to assist in his fight against Grade 4 Glioblastoma. There has been an outpouring of love and support from family and friends and some have asked for a platform to make a monetary contribution. All donations are welcome and appreciated. We also have a caringbridge.com site with other avenues for support. There remain many unknowns at this point but we know that they will be inundated with hospital bills and living expenses.
Ronnie is an intelligent, loyal and always hilarious man that we all have the pleasure of calling a friend. Never will we see a more diverse friend group accessing a CaringBridge page. The last week has been a whirlwind. I hope that the use of this website can help to disseminate important information to Ronnie’s close friends all around the world as well as provide support for Ronnie, Erin and Poppy.
Last week, Ronnie was diagnosed with Grade 4 glioblastoma, a type of malignant brain tumor. It is in the right parietal lobe of his brain, which controls the left side of his body. He underwent surgery on Thursday at Lenox Hill Hospital and they successfully removed the tumor, or as Ronnie unlovingly referred to it, the "smirking banana in his brain.” The surgeons were able to get great margins and were encouraged by the surgical outcome. The tumor was about the size of a lemon and they speculate it has grown rapidly over the last 6 or so months. Ronnie is still at Lenox Hill. He will be transferred to an inpatient rehab hospital on Monday and will stay there for intensive Physical Therapy for about 2 weeks. In approximately 4 weeks (end of January), Ronnie will do intensive chemotherapy and radiation. After that, he will enroll in a clinical trial.
The BACKSTORY
For the last 6 weeks, Ronnie has had a constellation of progressing symptoms, mostly left sided. He noticed slight difficulty texting with his left hand. Twice he went to set down a glass on a table and missed it by a few inches. He tripped while rushing down the stairs. All of these were individually insignificant, but eventually started to add up. At the end of last week he wrote something on a piece of paper and when he looked at it the writing went off of the page and some letters were transposed. His primary doctor recommended that he go in for a head CT. On Sunday, December 15th, he started to develop a headache and went to the Lenox Hill emergency room to be evaluated. The head CT revealed a mass that was about the size of a lemon in the right side of his brain.
There remain many unknowns but here are some of the most important questions to try to answer for you:
How did the surgery go?
The surgery went very well. Ronnie was in the hands of an excellent surgical team that moved quickly and skillfully. With glioblastoma the primary goal is to remove as much as possible during surgery. The surgeons were able to successfully remove 100% of the tumor and were able to get good clean margins. Ronnie took one of Poppy's shirts into the operating room and the anesthesiologist agreed to keep it under his pillow. During the surgery they took a small tissue section from the mass and sent it for an initial pathology report, which confirmed the surgeons' glioblastoma diagnosis. The final pathology report will take approximately 2 weeks and will help us better understand how to treat Ronnie. Additionally, the pathology will help determine which clinical trials are best suited for Ronnie.
How is Ronnie physically feeling?
Ronnie is doing well and looking good, considering everything he has been through. I was happy to see him smiling and laughing in the ICU. Most importantly, he is completely mentally intact. He has the same bad jokes and witty comments. Physically, his left side strength is good but the sensation in the left arm is decreased. He can stand, but needs assistance to steady himself and help him walk. He has been on high dose steroids to reduce the swelling. Though stomach pain, nausea, dizziness and intense moods are anticipated in the week following brain surgery, Ronnie has been steady and focused on fighting this disease and diagnosis. A repeat MRI was done Saturday (December 21st) and showed no evidence of any mass or tumor. This is great news.
How long will he be in the hospital?
He will likely be discharged Monday to a different hospital with an inpatient rehab facility. I am not sure where yet, but will provide an update as soon as possible.
What are the next steps?
There are many unknowns at this point. This particular type of cancer is likely to recur. We will hit it hard with treatments and hopefully Ronnie will be a good candidate for one of the amazing new clinical trials available. Ronnie has declared that he does not like the term "aggressive" and instead he wants the tumor referred to as "spicy.”
How are Ronnie's spirits?
As he told me the day before the surgery, "I feel ferocious and tomorrow we fight.” So his spirits are good and he's ready for the battle.
How can we help?
1. GoFundMe- Rally for Ronnie, Erin and Poppy!
This page was started for Ronnie Krensel to assist in his fight against Grade 4 Glioblastoma. There has been an outpouring of love and support from family and friends and some have asked for a platform to make a monetary contribution. All donations are welcome and appreciated. We also have a caringbridge.com site with other avenues for support. There remain many unknowns at this point but we know that they will be inundated with hospital bills and living expenses.
2. Communication - log into Caring Bridge and register. I will post more updates through this site and will likely make it private in the near future so a login will be required. Ronnie is still not up for much texting so he will likely not be responding to texts, but he is receiving them and loves the well wishes.
3. Venmo- @Erin-McFarland . Friends have been asking to make a contribution to covering the childcare expense so that Erin can have more hours at the hospital or time to run errands. If you are interested in covering a few hours with the nanny, please feel free to Venmo @erinmcfarland1.
4. Meals. Please do not feel obligated at all. Sometimes people want to share something tangible and this feels like a good place. We are working on a Lotsa Helping Hands webpage Lotsa Helping Hands that we will also post on the CaringBridge web page along with a link to some meal/takeout suggestions for local friends and family.
5. Email- [email redacted]. I have set up an email account for Ronnie so that you can shoot him an email whenever a funny story or saying crosses your mind. This is separate from his regular email and it is something that I will scan once a month or so and compile in some type of journal for him to read. This does not need to be a meaningful message it can just be when something crosses your mind or if you come across a picture you want to send. There doesn't need to be an introduction-just a note.
6. Contact- Feel free to reach out to me for any reason. If you would prefer to make a donation directly or you want to make sure that it is directed to a certain aspect of Ronnie's care or life, just send it to me or give a call or email. I am also available to field calls or questions. If you have any information or insight into GBM trials or support groups feel free to email me and I can research and pass along information.
[email redacted]
Amber Tyson
2693 E Washington Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91107
7. Most importantly, we just never want Ronnie, Erin or Poppy to feel alone. Continue sending your love and positive energy because they all feel it. I will continue to post updates.
Ronnie is an intelligent, loyal and always hilarious man that we all have the pleasure of calling a friend. Never will we see a more diverse friend group accessing a CaringBridge page. The last week has been a whirlwind. I hope that the use of this website can help to disseminate important information to Ronnie’s close friends all around the world as well as provide support for Ronnie, Erin and Poppy.
Last week, Ronnie was diagnosed with Grade 4 glioblastoma, a type of malignant brain tumor. It is in the right parietal lobe of his brain, which controls the left side of his body. He underwent surgery on Thursday at Lenox Hill Hospital and they successfully removed the tumor, or as Ronnie unlovingly referred to it, the "smirking banana in his brain.” The surgeons were able to get great margins and were encouraged by the surgical outcome. The tumor was about the size of a lemon and they speculate it has grown rapidly over the last 6 or so months. Ronnie is still at Lenox Hill. He will be transferred to an inpatient rehab hospital on Monday and will stay there for intensive Physical Therapy for about 2 weeks. In approximately 4 weeks (end of January), Ronnie will do intensive chemotherapy and radiation. After that, he will enroll in a clinical trial.
The BACKSTORY
For the last 6 weeks, Ronnie has had a constellation of progressing symptoms, mostly left sided. He noticed slight difficulty texting with his left hand. Twice he went to set down a glass on a table and missed it by a few inches. He tripped while rushing down the stairs. All of these were individually insignificant, but eventually started to add up. At the end of last week he wrote something on a piece of paper and when he looked at it the writing went off of the page and some letters were transposed. His primary doctor recommended that he go in for a head CT. On Sunday, December 15th, he started to develop a headache and went to the Lenox Hill emergency room to be evaluated. The head CT revealed a mass that was about the size of a lemon in the right side of his brain.
There remain many unknowns but here are some of the most important questions to try to answer for you:
How did the surgery go?
The surgery went very well. Ronnie was in the hands of an excellent surgical team that moved quickly and skillfully. With glioblastoma the primary goal is to remove as much as possible during surgery. The surgeons were able to successfully remove 100% of the tumor and were able to get good clean margins. Ronnie took one of Poppy's shirts into the operating room and the anesthesiologist agreed to keep it under his pillow. During the surgery they took a small tissue section from the mass and sent it for an initial pathology report, which confirmed the surgeons' glioblastoma diagnosis. The final pathology report will take approximately 2 weeks and will help us better understand how to treat Ronnie. Additionally, the pathology will help determine which clinical trials are best suited for Ronnie.
How is Ronnie physically feeling?
Ronnie is doing well and looking good, considering everything he has been through. I was happy to see him smiling and laughing in the ICU. Most importantly, he is completely mentally intact. He has the same bad jokes and witty comments. Physically, his left side strength is good but the sensation in the left arm is decreased. He can stand, but needs assistance to steady himself and help him walk. He has been on high dose steroids to reduce the swelling. Though stomach pain, nausea, dizziness and intense moods are anticipated in the week following brain surgery, Ronnie has been steady and focused on fighting this disease and diagnosis. A repeat MRI was done Saturday (December 21st) and showed no evidence of any mass or tumor. This is great news.
How long will he be in the hospital?
He will likely be discharged Monday to a different hospital with an inpatient rehab facility. I am not sure where yet, but will provide an update as soon as possible.
What are the next steps?
There are many unknowns at this point. This particular type of cancer is likely to recur. We will hit it hard with treatments and hopefully Ronnie will be a good candidate for one of the amazing new clinical trials available. Ronnie has declared that he does not like the term "aggressive" and instead he wants the tumor referred to as "spicy.”
How are Ronnie's spirits?
As he told me the day before the surgery, "I feel ferocious and tomorrow we fight.” So his spirits are good and he's ready for the battle.
How can we help?
1. GoFundMe- Rally for Ronnie, Erin and Poppy!
This page was started for Ronnie Krensel to assist in his fight against Grade 4 Glioblastoma. There has been an outpouring of love and support from family and friends and some have asked for a platform to make a monetary contribution. All donations are welcome and appreciated. We also have a caringbridge.com site with other avenues for support. There remain many unknowns at this point but we know that they will be inundated with hospital bills and living expenses.
2. Communication - log into Caring Bridge and register. I will post more updates through this site and will likely make it private in the near future so a login will be required. Ronnie is still not up for much texting so he will likely not be responding to texts, but he is receiving them and loves the well wishes.
3. Venmo- @Erin-McFarland . Friends have been asking to make a contribution to covering the childcare expense so that Erin can have more hours at the hospital or time to run errands. If you are interested in covering a few hours with the nanny, please feel free to Venmo @erinmcfarland1.
4. Meals. Please do not feel obligated at all. Sometimes people want to share something tangible and this feels like a good place. We are working on a Lotsa Helping Hands webpage Lotsa Helping Hands that we will also post on the CaringBridge web page along with a link to some meal/takeout suggestions for local friends and family.
5. Email- [email redacted]. I have set up an email account for Ronnie so that you can shoot him an email whenever a funny story or saying crosses your mind. This is separate from his regular email and it is something that I will scan once a month or so and compile in some type of journal for him to read. This does not need to be a meaningful message it can just be when something crosses your mind or if you come across a picture you want to send. There doesn't need to be an introduction-just a note.
6. Contact- Feel free to reach out to me for any reason. If you would prefer to make a donation directly or you want to make sure that it is directed to a certain aspect of Ronnie's care or life, just send it to me or give a call or email. I am also available to field calls or questions. If you have any information or insight into GBM trials or support groups feel free to email me and I can research and pass along information.
[email redacted]
Amber Tyson
2693 E Washington Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91107
7. Most importantly, we just never want Ronnie, Erin or Poppy to feel alone. Continue sending your love and positive energy because they all feel it. I will continue to post updates.
Organizer and beneficiary
Amber Tyson
Organizer
New York, NY
Erin McFarland
Beneficiary
