Fight To Beat Stage 4 Brain Cancer
Donation protected
For starters, I just want to thank everyone who reads my story and is praying and supporting me as I continue to go through treatments. It means so much and allows me to stay positve and continue to push forward as I Fight to WIN!
In December of 2012 I graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in Construction Management and was eager to get out and find a job to start my career. A few months later, in May, I found a job with a successful homebuilder and planned to move and hit the ground running June 3rd. During the time before starting the job a car pulled out in front of me on the highway while I was traveling at 60 mph causing me to T-bone him and total his car. At first I felt fine, but the next day was different. I woke up the next morning both arms and legs completely numb and my neck was very sore. I sought out medical attention and the Dr.s decided that an MRI was neccessary to take a better look at my neck and back of my head to see if they could find the cause of the numbness. The results came back and I was told there was a bulging disc creating the issues and that chiropractic treatments were the only choice for helping this. As I continued to wait for moving day I sought out a local chiropractor and treated for a couple weeks until I had to move.
Me And My Brother at My new Job.
Two weeks into the new job I was still dealing with the numbness and starting to lose sleep because it would happen continuously over night. I was getting extremly stressed at work and started having bad anxiety and constant headaches that lasted all day and made me feel cloudy headed to the point where I found it hard to perform normal daily tasks. I thought this was all from losing sleep due to the numbness so I just tried to push through it. Then one day on the jobsite I went to answer my cell phone with my right ear and it sounded muted like I had lost the hearing in that ear so I switched to my left ear and was able to hear fine. I then glanced out the window to the right as I was talking and realized that when looking to the right my vision was double or blurred. I was confused as to why this was happening at the time.
A few more weeks went by and one day I noticed my focus, coordination, balance, gait, and vision had suddenly worsened as well as the headaches, they were now more severe in the back of my head. At this point it was time to seek medical attention because it was no longer in my best interest to walk jobsites due to my imbalance. So I setup an appointment with a local neurologist and went to see him. It was found that I had a torsional nystagmus as well as an inner ear issue causing the balance and coordination struggles but at this point there was no diagnosis. I then went for another MRI and again nothing was found so I was sent to a neuro opthamalogist for my eyes and a physical therapist for my balance and coordination. A few days into the physical therapy, the therapist urged me to reach out and seek a 2nd opinion because what was going on with me physical therapy coud not fix.
I took their advise and reached out to another neurologist in town to setup an appointment, but it took a few months until there was an opening but I was willing to wait, so I just pushed through and continued working because I still had a commitment to my company. I had all of my records up to this point sent over previous to the appoinment but the day of, the Dr. reviewed everything and was unable to see anything on my images but knew something wasn't right due to my constant symptoms, so he asked for more time. I continued to follow up and go through different test to rule out certain diseases, like MS.
Months Passed, into 2014. Still no answer but the symptoms were constant. I was working harder than ever at my job chasing a promotion and playing on a paintball team with my youger brother and some of our friends, so still trying to live normal life while dealing with these abnormal symptoms. I ended up getting the promotion in February and they gave me my own neighborhood so I was pumped! I started the next week in the new neighborhood and worked the next few months going to more Dr.s appointments and fighting through the symptoms on a daily basis to get my work done just hoping an answer would come. Then one day I got sick and blacked out while on the jobsite and at that point felt it was necessary to tell my boss the full extent of what was going on as well as schedule a follow up with my doctor.
I went to my follow up appointment and took a 2 week leave from work. To return it was decided I was only aloud to work indoors in a safe environment. So the company thankfully worked with me and kept me by creating a desk job for me to help with warranties and builders in the field but at the same time this job dropped my pay significantly so that was hard to swallow but I kept my head held high and kept working just as hard, but each day was becoming more and more of a struggle with my symptoms, so I was fighting harder and harder.
2014 went on and the symptoms stayed constant so I decided to reach out to a specialist that was recommended to me. They setup my appointment, which this too took a few months to be able to find an opening as well, and asked that I have one more MRI done before I made the trip to their hospital and to be prepared for one day of testing and the next day to follow up with the Dr. So I set everything up and was off to St. Louis the first week in December. The testing I went through was very informative and gave me a lot of critical information but still no leads or a diagnosis. The Dr. also took my driving privileges immedietely as soon as he saw the torsional nystagmus and said I could only work from home, which I knew my company would not allow so this wasn't this best news but I had to push forward either way and not look at it as a bad thing because my health is #1. The Dr. also asked for another week to look into this and check with a few colleagues of his in Germany and Australia as well as John Hopkins here in the states. When he followed up with me at the end of that next week he didnt have a diagnosis, but every Doctor he spoke with said it sounded like something brain stem related. He suggested I get another MRI at this point so I did.
I called my local neurolgist and setup the MRI. He called me the next morning first thing and said he needed to see me and my family as soon as possible, 2 days later we went in for an appointment..the new MRI revealed a tumor a little bigger than the size of a ping pong ball on my brain stem! I was shocked! The Doctor said he was flabbergasted as to how so many Doctors and Radiologists had missed the tumor because it was present ever since the original MRI after the car wreck in 2013 when it was significantly smaller as if it had just occurred/started forming. But he said he was sure it was benign because if it was malignant I would have only had 6-8 months from the initial MRI but that he needed to set me up for surgery to perform a biopsy to truly find out what we were up against.
After The Biopsy, They Had to mount a cage that surrounded my head.
I had the Biopsy back in March and they called me a few days later with the news, I have a Stage 4 PNET Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor. I couldnt believe it, it wasn't supposed to be malignant? But it was and honestly I can tell you when I heard that news I was able to handle it extremely well and at a moments notice because when you go through 2 years of pain and suffering and you dont know what your up against its tough but when you go into the fight knowing what your dealing with, I can handle that! So since the night I found out I've been staying as positive as possible and constantly pushing forward staying strong and keeping faith because that alone will conquer anything.
I am currently undergoing full brain and spine radiation and they are hitting me with it as hard as they can due to my age and health, they said I could handle it. And to be honest Im shocked at how well I have responded so far. After that I will go through a boost treatment of radiation focusing on the tumor for another couple of weeks and then the chemotherapy will start and last everyday for the next 4 months. After that I will be rehabing and getting back on the road to recovery so that I can reach out and help others who may be dealing with situations like mine or similar or are having issues coping because I cannot thank God enough for allowing me to handle this the way I have and I wouldnt change it or have it any other way, there is not a con in my life I set those aside grab the pros and run with them!
Again,
thank you for taking the time to read my story and for your support and prayer, it means the world!
In December of 2012 I graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in Construction Management and was eager to get out and find a job to start my career. A few months later, in May, I found a job with a successful homebuilder and planned to move and hit the ground running June 3rd. During the time before starting the job a car pulled out in front of me on the highway while I was traveling at 60 mph causing me to T-bone him and total his car. At first I felt fine, but the next day was different. I woke up the next morning both arms and legs completely numb and my neck was very sore. I sought out medical attention and the Dr.s decided that an MRI was neccessary to take a better look at my neck and back of my head to see if they could find the cause of the numbness. The results came back and I was told there was a bulging disc creating the issues and that chiropractic treatments were the only choice for helping this. As I continued to wait for moving day I sought out a local chiropractor and treated for a couple weeks until I had to move.
Me And My Brother at My new Job.Two weeks into the new job I was still dealing with the numbness and starting to lose sleep because it would happen continuously over night. I was getting extremly stressed at work and started having bad anxiety and constant headaches that lasted all day and made me feel cloudy headed to the point where I found it hard to perform normal daily tasks. I thought this was all from losing sleep due to the numbness so I just tried to push through it. Then one day on the jobsite I went to answer my cell phone with my right ear and it sounded muted like I had lost the hearing in that ear so I switched to my left ear and was able to hear fine. I then glanced out the window to the right as I was talking and realized that when looking to the right my vision was double or blurred. I was confused as to why this was happening at the time.
A few more weeks went by and one day I noticed my focus, coordination, balance, gait, and vision had suddenly worsened as well as the headaches, they were now more severe in the back of my head. At this point it was time to seek medical attention because it was no longer in my best interest to walk jobsites due to my imbalance. So I setup an appointment with a local neurologist and went to see him. It was found that I had a torsional nystagmus as well as an inner ear issue causing the balance and coordination struggles but at this point there was no diagnosis. I then went for another MRI and again nothing was found so I was sent to a neuro opthamalogist for my eyes and a physical therapist for my balance and coordination. A few days into the physical therapy, the therapist urged me to reach out and seek a 2nd opinion because what was going on with me physical therapy coud not fix.
I took their advise and reached out to another neurologist in town to setup an appointment, but it took a few months until there was an opening but I was willing to wait, so I just pushed through and continued working because I still had a commitment to my company. I had all of my records up to this point sent over previous to the appoinment but the day of, the Dr. reviewed everything and was unable to see anything on my images but knew something wasn't right due to my constant symptoms, so he asked for more time. I continued to follow up and go through different test to rule out certain diseases, like MS.
Months Passed, into 2014. Still no answer but the symptoms were constant. I was working harder than ever at my job chasing a promotion and playing on a paintball team with my youger brother and some of our friends, so still trying to live normal life while dealing with these abnormal symptoms. I ended up getting the promotion in February and they gave me my own neighborhood so I was pumped! I started the next week in the new neighborhood and worked the next few months going to more Dr.s appointments and fighting through the symptoms on a daily basis to get my work done just hoping an answer would come. Then one day I got sick and blacked out while on the jobsite and at that point felt it was necessary to tell my boss the full extent of what was going on as well as schedule a follow up with my doctor.
I went to my follow up appointment and took a 2 week leave from work. To return it was decided I was only aloud to work indoors in a safe environment. So the company thankfully worked with me and kept me by creating a desk job for me to help with warranties and builders in the field but at the same time this job dropped my pay significantly so that was hard to swallow but I kept my head held high and kept working just as hard, but each day was becoming more and more of a struggle with my symptoms, so I was fighting harder and harder.
2014 went on and the symptoms stayed constant so I decided to reach out to a specialist that was recommended to me. They setup my appointment, which this too took a few months to be able to find an opening as well, and asked that I have one more MRI done before I made the trip to their hospital and to be prepared for one day of testing and the next day to follow up with the Dr. So I set everything up and was off to St. Louis the first week in December. The testing I went through was very informative and gave me a lot of critical information but still no leads or a diagnosis. The Dr. also took my driving privileges immedietely as soon as he saw the torsional nystagmus and said I could only work from home, which I knew my company would not allow so this wasn't this best news but I had to push forward either way and not look at it as a bad thing because my health is #1. The Dr. also asked for another week to look into this and check with a few colleagues of his in Germany and Australia as well as John Hopkins here in the states. When he followed up with me at the end of that next week he didnt have a diagnosis, but every Doctor he spoke with said it sounded like something brain stem related. He suggested I get another MRI at this point so I did.
I called my local neurolgist and setup the MRI. He called me the next morning first thing and said he needed to see me and my family as soon as possible, 2 days later we went in for an appointment..the new MRI revealed a tumor a little bigger than the size of a ping pong ball on my brain stem! I was shocked! The Doctor said he was flabbergasted as to how so many Doctors and Radiologists had missed the tumor because it was present ever since the original MRI after the car wreck in 2013 when it was significantly smaller as if it had just occurred/started forming. But he said he was sure it was benign because if it was malignant I would have only had 6-8 months from the initial MRI but that he needed to set me up for surgery to perform a biopsy to truly find out what we were up against.
After The Biopsy, They Had to mount a cage that surrounded my head.I had the Biopsy back in March and they called me a few days later with the news, I have a Stage 4 PNET Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor. I couldnt believe it, it wasn't supposed to be malignant? But it was and honestly I can tell you when I heard that news I was able to handle it extremely well and at a moments notice because when you go through 2 years of pain and suffering and you dont know what your up against its tough but when you go into the fight knowing what your dealing with, I can handle that! So since the night I found out I've been staying as positive as possible and constantly pushing forward staying strong and keeping faith because that alone will conquer anything.
I am currently undergoing full brain and spine radiation and they are hitting me with it as hard as they can due to my age and health, they said I could handle it. And to be honest Im shocked at how well I have responded so far. After that I will go through a boost treatment of radiation focusing on the tumor for another couple of weeks and then the chemotherapy will start and last everyday for the next 4 months. After that I will be rehabing and getting back on the road to recovery so that I can reach out and help others who may be dealing with situations like mine or similar or are having issues coping because I cannot thank God enough for allowing me to handle this the way I have and I wouldnt change it or have it any other way, there is not a con in my life I set those aside grab the pros and run with them!
Again,
thank you for taking the time to read my story and for your support and prayer, it means the world!
Organizer
Grant Lafoon
Organizer
Raleigh, NC
