Tray & Jessica Phillips Fundraiser
Donation protected
Tray, Jessica, and Sadie were going through the daily routine of life around the first of December 2017. Tray started experiencing headaches, and as they became more severe, he decided to go to the ER for migraine treatment. They performed a CT scan in the ER that night and determined that Tray had a cyst on the back of his brain. After an MRI confirmed that it was a tumor, he had surgery to remove the tumor on December 15th. The surgery went well, and the surgeon was able to remove almost all of the mass that he could see.
They awaited the results, and on December 21st, their world was rocked when they found out that Tray had a Glioblastoma Multiforme (Grade 4). That's as bad as it gets in terms of cancer. No matter what treatments/surgeries/etc are performed, a Glioblastoma is just too aggressive to beat. From a clinical standpoint, people diagnosed with Glioblastoma typically live an average of 15 months after diagnosis.
Christmas was celebrated, and New Years went by without any complications. On January 12th of this year, Tray was admitted back into the hospital for a post-op infection. After spending a week in the hospital, he went home on IV antibiotics. The next few weeks were uneventful, although Tray became more lethargic and the headaches were a constant issue.
Tray began chemo and radiation on February 7th, a day after his 40th birthday. Although it took a hard toll on his body, he made it through the treatments with no complications. On April 21st, he began the second round of chemo, with this one being 5 times as strong as the original treatment. He also started wearing "Optune", which was a wire-mesh helmet of sorts that works along with chemotherapy to prevent new growth of tumors, and basically keeps everything in check. Because of the way it fit, and all the wires attached to it, Tray absolutely loathed the Optune. He reluctantly decided to wear it anyhow to help increase his lifespan.
Tray, Jessica, and Sadie went to the beach for the weekend on May 4th, but Tray started experiencing horrific headaches again, and was taken to the Grandstrand ER. They performed a CT scan that showed tumor recurrence. On May 7th, Tray was hospitalized again for an infection, and was sent home on May 12th. However, not even 24 hours passed before the symptoms became much more severe, and Tray was re-admitted for Hydrocephalus and an infection. They performed a ventriculotomy and craniotomy to clean out the infection, and removed the metal plates from Tray's head that were there from the original surgery. They determined that the infection cells were incubating under the metal plates, which is why Tray was having constant issues.
The ventriculotomy is basically a drainage tube placed inside Tray's skull to help drain/alleviate the pressure and fluid building in his head. He's had to have the drain replaced once already, and has been very lethargic and confused for the last 3 weeks or so. On May 29th, another MRI was performed. Tray's tumor is back, and because of the placement of the tumor, along with all of the complications that come with surgery, the Surgeon has decided that it would be unethical to do another surgery. They started Tray on steroids to help relieve the pressure on his brain, and so far, the steroids are doing their job.
Today is May 31st, and Tray is still in the ICU at McLeod. The doctors have recommended calling in Hospice for Tray, to make him as comfortable and pain-free as they can. The original plan was for Tray to go to the Hospice House at McLeod. However, Tray awoke this morning and was as alert and responsive as he's been in 3 weeks, and made it abundantly clear that he wanted to be at home with his precious little girl. The Hospice nurse agreed to send Tray home with Hospice care, and hopefully Tray will be discharged tomorrow to go home and spend his remaining time there with Jessica, Sadie, and the dogs.
Needless to say, the medical bills are piling up every hour, and will continue to do so. Please donate whatever you can, whether it's $1.00 or $1000.00, to help Jessica in the coming months take care of all the various expenses. Above all, please keep Tray, Jessica, Sadie, and the family in your thoughts and prayers over the next few weeks.
They awaited the results, and on December 21st, their world was rocked when they found out that Tray had a Glioblastoma Multiforme (Grade 4). That's as bad as it gets in terms of cancer. No matter what treatments/surgeries/etc are performed, a Glioblastoma is just too aggressive to beat. From a clinical standpoint, people diagnosed with Glioblastoma typically live an average of 15 months after diagnosis.
Christmas was celebrated, and New Years went by without any complications. On January 12th of this year, Tray was admitted back into the hospital for a post-op infection. After spending a week in the hospital, he went home on IV antibiotics. The next few weeks were uneventful, although Tray became more lethargic and the headaches were a constant issue.
Tray began chemo and radiation on February 7th, a day after his 40th birthday. Although it took a hard toll on his body, he made it through the treatments with no complications. On April 21st, he began the second round of chemo, with this one being 5 times as strong as the original treatment. He also started wearing "Optune", which was a wire-mesh helmet of sorts that works along with chemotherapy to prevent new growth of tumors, and basically keeps everything in check. Because of the way it fit, and all the wires attached to it, Tray absolutely loathed the Optune. He reluctantly decided to wear it anyhow to help increase his lifespan.
Tray, Jessica, and Sadie went to the beach for the weekend on May 4th, but Tray started experiencing horrific headaches again, and was taken to the Grandstrand ER. They performed a CT scan that showed tumor recurrence. On May 7th, Tray was hospitalized again for an infection, and was sent home on May 12th. However, not even 24 hours passed before the symptoms became much more severe, and Tray was re-admitted for Hydrocephalus and an infection. They performed a ventriculotomy and craniotomy to clean out the infection, and removed the metal plates from Tray's head that were there from the original surgery. They determined that the infection cells were incubating under the metal plates, which is why Tray was having constant issues.
The ventriculotomy is basically a drainage tube placed inside Tray's skull to help drain/alleviate the pressure and fluid building in his head. He's had to have the drain replaced once already, and has been very lethargic and confused for the last 3 weeks or so. On May 29th, another MRI was performed. Tray's tumor is back, and because of the placement of the tumor, along with all of the complications that come with surgery, the Surgeon has decided that it would be unethical to do another surgery. They started Tray on steroids to help relieve the pressure on his brain, and so far, the steroids are doing their job.
Today is May 31st, and Tray is still in the ICU at McLeod. The doctors have recommended calling in Hospice for Tray, to make him as comfortable and pain-free as they can. The original plan was for Tray to go to the Hospice House at McLeod. However, Tray awoke this morning and was as alert and responsive as he's been in 3 weeks, and made it abundantly clear that he wanted to be at home with his precious little girl. The Hospice nurse agreed to send Tray home with Hospice care, and hopefully Tray will be discharged tomorrow to go home and spend his remaining time there with Jessica, Sadie, and the dogs.
Needless to say, the medical bills are piling up every hour, and will continue to do so. Please donate whatever you can, whether it's $1.00 or $1000.00, to help Jessica in the coming months take care of all the various expenses. Above all, please keep Tray, Jessica, Sadie, and the family in your thoughts and prayers over the next few weeks.
Organizer and beneficiary
Adam Tyner
Organizer
Florence, SC
Jessica Phillips
Beneficiary
