My unexpected battle w brain cancer

A few months ago, I thought I was a pretty healthy 32 year old. I had no pre-existing conditions, and any time I got bloodwork everything was either great or fine.  But I'd started getting more headaches and migraines the past couple of years, major fatigue, and occasional dizzy spells - all of which I wrote off due to genetics, growing older, stress, and/or that I should get more (and better) sleep or perhaps eat super clean.

By ~February 2017, I had a concussion.  The migraines and headaches had gotten so bad, and actually got worse over time instead of getting better. I finally saw someone about it, who ordered an MRI which I finally got on March 31, 2017. Turns out I had bleeding and swelling from the concusion, but I also had a pretty massive brain tumor (about the size of a mandarin orange). I was scheduled for brain surgery as soon as possible, given only a few days (on steroids) to get the swelling down a bit.

I also found out recently that the brain tumor was Grade 4 (out of 4) highly cancerous, and will have to start chemo and radiation for six weeks starting Monday, May 22. Still trying to navigate the whole hospitals/insurance thing since this is my first time having (and needing to use) insurance.

Since then, I've been recovering from the brain surgery - I exhausted all of my saved sick leave and vacation leave before four weeks of unpaid leave, and now working part-time from home as often as I am able to do so during the treatments and likely for a little while after during recovery.

It's definitely something I would have never expected, I never planned for, and am having to figure out one day at a time how to survive on all fronts.

Thanks for taking the time to read my story!  I wasn't sure what to put for a fundraising goal here, but any help would be very much appreciated. I normally am the type of person who would hate to ask, but one thing I learned very quickly is that one cannot survive brain cancer with pride.

Thank you again, with all my heart...