Rich Miles' Brain Tumor Fund

Rich's tumor is back; third tumor in eight years, deep within the Speech region of his brain.  Within 72 hours of us sharing this news, numerous friends have offered to set up a gofundme for us and have expressed the desire to help, however they can.  For sake of simplicity, I am going to house all fundraising efforts under one, unified gofundme page.

Rich's only concern is his family; how his treatment costs, inablity to work, and my need to be home with him, will affect his family.  The last time, we waited too long to ask for help, and was down to our last $50 with no groceries in the house after paying the first round of imaging and doctors' bills.  There is no savings large enough to fund a brain tumor.

I am very concerned about Rich's desire to continue to work until he starts chemotherapy.  He has been having headaches and, several times in the last few months, has lost the ability to see while at work and numerous times he has felt as if he was going to have a seizure (a usual precursor to the return of seizure activity).  His seizure risk is infinitely increased by this tumor and, given that he works outside on the porch and in the parking lot of our local grocery store (he had to retire from Hotel Management after the first tumor), one sizure or an episode where he loses vision in a busy parking lot could be devastating.  Right now, this is my biggest concern. 

I will continue to teach until I cannot (I was planning to teach all summer), but as any teacher knows, summer is the worst time financially.  Couldn't be better timing for Rich's care, couldn't be worse timing for a teacher.

We are just at the beginning of this journey, with Chemotherapy an inevitability, Radiation likely, "Maintenance" Chemotherapy (at $1000 a month co-pay) for the rest of his life (to keep the residual tumor that has already invaded Motor and Speech from spreading further), plus multiple meds, imaging, etc.  We've been here before, and that brings some comfort, but we also know what challenges are awaiting us. 

To all of our friends who wanted to start this process for us, we are forever grateful. 

I would like to ask one thing.  Rich's tumor is a graded tumor, at the time of the last resection, he was almost at a Grade 3 Oligodendroglioma.  The higher the grade, the more likely the tumor to mestasticize.  We are PRAYING that, even though there is new tumor growth, that the pathology has not changed.  This is unlikely, given the typical Oligo prognosis, 11 years from the first tumor and it has been 8, BUT we have seen miraculous things before and I absolutely believe in the power of God and in prayer.  Please, if you read this and can pray for our family and ask others to do the same; it is about the only thing that brings me solice, to know that so many people are praying for Rich.

Rich is a wonderful husband and an absolutely phenomenal father to our two kids, Jack and Cate.  Jack is a Freshman at the University of Alabama, studying to be a Nurse Anesthesiologist, and Cate is a Sophomore in High School, who just asked me if we were going to be ok, and offered to get a job because, 'it was really difficult last time'.   We have been blessed with J and C and blessed with all of our wondeful friends and family. 

Please continue to pray.

Love and blessings,
Erin and Rich Miles