Supporting the Argent Family
This GoFundMe Campaign will help support Chas and Michelle Argent as they oversee the recovery of their 12-year-old son, Nicolas, who suffered a hemorrhagic stroke on January 13, 2018. The stroke was caused by a medical condition called arteriovenous malformation (AVM), which was previously undiagnosed and that presented no symptoms whatsoever until the stroke. Nicolas survived this life-threatening event and after spending two weeks in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, he was thrilled to come home on January 27th to be with his family – including his 9-year-old sister, Bryn; his dog, Willow; and his cat, Poe. Nicolas continues to amaze and inspire those around him with his fighting spirit, his astounding recovery, and his ever-present smile.
However, his journey is just beginning. On January 29th, Nicolas began a comprehensive rehabilitation program at Kennedy Krieger Institute where he is receiving care from doctors, physical therapists, speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists, nurses, and neuropsychologists as he works towards transitioning back to middle school. It is currently anticipated that he will be receiving these intensive therapies for at least a few months. In the next 6 months or so, the Argents have been told that Nicolas will need to have surgery to correct the AVM condition in his brain that caused the stroke in the first place. Otherwise, it could happen again. It is not safe to do this procedure on Nicolas at this time. Further tests, treatments, and therapies will most likely follow.
To care for Nicolas, Michelle has had to take an indefinite leave of absence without pay from her new career as a special educator. She just graduated with her M.Ed. in August and as a new employee, she does not qualify for the Family Medical Leave Act. For now, the family can keep health insurance under the school’s plan, but they have to pay the full, unsubsidized premium. The vast majority of Nicolas’ medical expenses are covered, but innumerable subsidiary expenses remain in the face of the significant loss of Michelle’s salary.
The Argents are great people, and this campaign is intended to provide the many friends of the Argents with an easy way to help them out during this time of need.
Donated funds will go to help defray Argent family expenses while Nicolas recovers. There is no doubt that they will be very grateful for any help.
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However, his journey is just beginning. On January 29th, Nicolas began a comprehensive rehabilitation program at Kennedy Krieger Institute where he is receiving care from doctors, physical therapists, speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists, nurses, and neuropsychologists as he works towards transitioning back to middle school. It is currently anticipated that he will be receiving these intensive therapies for at least a few months. In the next 6 months or so, the Argents have been told that Nicolas will need to have surgery to correct the AVM condition in his brain that caused the stroke in the first place. Otherwise, it could happen again. It is not safe to do this procedure on Nicolas at this time. Further tests, treatments, and therapies will most likely follow.
To care for Nicolas, Michelle has had to take an indefinite leave of absence without pay from her new career as a special educator. She just graduated with her M.Ed. in August and as a new employee, she does not qualify for the Family Medical Leave Act. For now, the family can keep health insurance under the school’s plan, but they have to pay the full, unsubsidized premium. The vast majority of Nicolas’ medical expenses are covered, but innumerable subsidiary expenses remain in the face of the significant loss of Michelle’s salary.
The Argents are great people, and this campaign is intended to provide the many friends of the Argents with an easy way to help them out during this time of need.
Donated funds will go to help defray Argent family expenses while Nicolas recovers. There is no doubt that they will be very grateful for any help.
Update: 5/31/18
We are moving into a new phase of recovery for Nicolas and want to update all of you who have been kind enough to keep him in your thoughts and hearts. The wonderful news is that as of last month, all of the swelling in his brain has gone down! We were thrilled to receive this news as it meant that Nicolas was cleared to participate in all normal 13-year-old physical activities. He was very happy to get on his bike again! It also means that we can now focus on getting rid of the problem that caused his stroke in the first place, his AVM. After exploring the different options with his neurosurgeons, Nicolas is going to have a treatment called stereotactic radiosurgery. It is a one-time treatment that will deliver a highly-targeted dose of radiation to the left frontal lobe of his brain in the hopes that over time it will cause the AVM to disintegrate. When they say “over time”…it is a relatively long time. We will have to wait 2-3 YEARS to learn if the procedure has been successful. So, the universe appears to want us to learn patience. As one might expect, anytime the brain is being treated directly, there are risks involved…but we aren’t going to spell them out here or give them any power. Instead, we are choosing to focus on the positives. The fact that Nicolas has surpassed all expectations and beat the odds so far gives us a great deal of hope going into the radiation treatment.
There are medical procedures that have to take place in preparation for the treatment itself. Last week, Nicolas went in for a “simulation day” where a molded mask (see photo) was made that will be used to keep his head perfectly in place during the radiation treatment. (It would be very bad if his head moved even the slightest amount during the radiation.) He also had CT scans and another MRI. Later this week he goes in for an angiogram. While an angiogram is a surgery in itself, we expect him to return home that evening. All of these procedures are geared at getting as many images of the brain, from as many different positions, as possible so that the AVM can be targeted incredibly precisely. Then a neurosurgeon, a radiation oncologist, and a physicist will spend a couple of weeks working both independently and together to plan every aspect of the radiation treatment and then program it into the cyber knife computer. Nicolas will have the stereotactic radiosurgery on June 26th.
We are so grateful for the emotional support that all of you have offered our family. We ask that you continue to keep Nicolas in your thoughts over the next few years. One aspect of the radiation treatment is that the risk of having another stroke doubles from the time the treatment is performed to the time the AVM is disintegrated, 2-3 years later. For that reason, your continued prayers would mean a great deal to our family. We believe that Nicolas is strong, and we have faith that he will not only survive, but that he will go on to thrive!
With thanks,
The Argent Family
We are moving into a new phase of recovery for Nicolas and want to update all of you who have been kind enough to keep him in your thoughts and hearts. The wonderful news is that as of last month, all of the swelling in his brain has gone down! We were thrilled to receive this news as it meant that Nicolas was cleared to participate in all normal 13-year-old physical activities. He was very happy to get on his bike again! It also means that we can now focus on getting rid of the problem that caused his stroke in the first place, his AVM. After exploring the different options with his neurosurgeons, Nicolas is going to have a treatment called stereotactic radiosurgery. It is a one-time treatment that will deliver a highly-targeted dose of radiation to the left frontal lobe of his brain in the hopes that over time it will cause the AVM to disintegrate. When they say “over time”…it is a relatively long time. We will have to wait 2-3 YEARS to learn if the procedure has been successful. So, the universe appears to want us to learn patience. As one might expect, anytime the brain is being treated directly, there are risks involved…but we aren’t going to spell them out here or give them any power. Instead, we are choosing to focus on the positives. The fact that Nicolas has surpassed all expectations and beat the odds so far gives us a great deal of hope going into the radiation treatment.
There are medical procedures that have to take place in preparation for the treatment itself. Last week, Nicolas went in for a “simulation day” where a molded mask (see photo) was made that will be used to keep his head perfectly in place during the radiation treatment. (It would be very bad if his head moved even the slightest amount during the radiation.) He also had CT scans and another MRI. Later this week he goes in for an angiogram. While an angiogram is a surgery in itself, we expect him to return home that evening. All of these procedures are geared at getting as many images of the brain, from as many different positions, as possible so that the AVM can be targeted incredibly precisely. Then a neurosurgeon, a radiation oncologist, and a physicist will spend a couple of weeks working both independently and together to plan every aspect of the radiation treatment and then program it into the cyber knife computer. Nicolas will have the stereotactic radiosurgery on June 26th.
We are so grateful for the emotional support that all of you have offered our family. We ask that you continue to keep Nicolas in your thoughts over the next few years. One aspect of the radiation treatment is that the risk of having another stroke doubles from the time the treatment is performed to the time the AVM is disintegrated, 2-3 years later. For that reason, your continued prayers would mean a great deal to our family. We believe that Nicolas is strong, and we have faith that he will not only survive, but that he will go on to thrive!
With thanks,
The Argent Family
Simulation Day
The Mask
Nicolas & Bryn
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