Fernando's Terminal Brain Cancer Diagnosis
Donation protected
Julio Fernando Estrada Guzman (Fernando - aka Mr. Handsome), born into this world on 26Mar1972. Father, brother, Uncle, Son and Friend, Fernando is truly an all-around wonderful, genuine, kind, caring and hard-working guy....and as you see from the photos - this guy ALWAYS has a smile on his face!!
On 25Jul2018 Fernando woke up like any other day; went shopping for household supplies and then off to meet his oldest son, Israel, for dinner. His son noticed he was having difficulty with his speech (slurred and random in content) and trouble walking (right sided weakness). Israel called me, (Kimberly the ex-wife), and told me what was happening. Working in healthcare for years I right away came to the conclusion he was having a stroke and directed them to the nearest emergency room - immediately. It was there that a scan was performed and subsequently a large mass in his left frontal lobe was discovered. A tumor. A tumor in the left frontal lobe of his brain.... these words were deafening…and will haunt our family for a lifetime...
Over the course of the next 10 days we will have been to three hospitals and Fernando was "tentatively" diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). After a 7-hour manual debulking and resection brain surgery performed at KU, it was learned through tumor tissue analysis that Fernando’s tumor was the high-grade IDH-wildtype…the very worst type of GBM you can get. He was terminal…literally the worst of the worst...incurable....given 14 months to live of which we have already lived 3 months of those 14....and he is unfortunately progressing too fast. After 30 fractions of radiation and 6 weeks of Temodar (chemo) the tumor grew back (in week 3 actually). The oncologist stopped the Temodar after post 2 weeks after radiation due to ineffectiveness and he is now receiving Avastin infusions every other week in its place. The latest MRI performed on 05Nov2018 showed stable disease for now, although there is a lot of swelling around the cavity of the first tumor which could be an indication of spreading - but until the oncologist says progressive disease - we fight.
To help everyone understand, glioblastomas are malignant Grade IV tumors, where a large portion of tumor cells are reproducing and dividing at any given time (normal-healthy brain cells do not split and divide…ever). These glioblastomas are nourished by an ample and abnormal tumor vessel blood supply. The tumor is predominantly made up of abnormal astrocytic cells, but also contain a mix of different cell types (including blood vessels) and areas of dead cells (necrosis). Glioblastomas are infiltrative and invade into nearby regions of the brain. They can also sometimes spread to the opposite side of the brain through connection fibers (corpus callosum). It is exceedingly rare for glioblastomas to spread outside of the brain.
Glioblastomas may arise de novo, meaning they begin as a Grade IV tumor with no evidence of a lower grade precursor. De novo tumors are the most common form of glioblastoma and tend to be more aggressive. Glioblastomas are usually diagnosed as either IDH-wildtype or IDH-mutant. IDH-wildtype glioblastomas are more common, tend to be more aggressive, and have worse prognosis than IDH-mutant glioblastomas.
When Fernando woke up in ICU the next day after surgery, we learned even though great measures were taken by the surgeons to preserve function, the right side of his body was severely and permanently impaired due to the location within the brain of the tumor that was removed - his tumor rested upon his motor strip. To make things even worse, as if possible, he had also been left with expressive aphasia (the inability to express verbally his words). I am a silver lining person and considering we only lost function of the right side and not all function, and when given time he can speak a little...although sometimes it's hard to understand him. We do indeed consider ourselves incredibly blessed in the big scheme of things.
After 3 days in ICU, 30 days in the hospital and 7 days in physical rehab re-learning how to do things such as walking, talking, feeding, bathing and dressing himself, he was finally released. Our family forever broken, knowing our loved one is dying, without the ability to work, walk or perform most of his activities of daily living, without health insurance, without a savings and without a home to go to, I took responsibility and took him to my home to provide care, understanding until he dies, he will now and forever need assistance. Insult to injury, I was restructured out of my job when he first got sick, but with a small severance...which is now gone.
Maybe some of you are asking who I am....I am the ex-wife, Kimberly. I realized when Fernando first got sick, he had grown quite a network of friends we (myself and our kids) had never met. Fernando and I have remained on good terms since our divorce 9 years ago. Fernando is, and always has been, an extraordinary father, and for this, I felt compelled to help him (reality is there isn't/wasn't anyone else). I am helping him not just for him, but also for our 4 children. Now that he is sick, I have also moved his mother into my home (regarding the day to day care I couldn't do this without her). I am caring for both of them and our 3 remaining children that live at home financially and all on my own; which brings me to this desperate plea for assistance. Anyone that knows me knows that I never ask anyone for anything, but this has proven to be so much bigger than me. There are mounting medical bills at this point, and although KU has been amazing, there are times when we must pay first to receive services. As you can imagine, Fernando is also taking A LOT of medications. Some, like chemo, I was able to obtain for free through the patient assistance programs with the pharmaceutical companies. All others though I pay for out of pocket every month. I have flown his mother back and forth to California several times as well as this is where she technically lives. She lives on social security and is a diabetic...so I also pay for her medications too. I am struggling. Without a steady job and payroll for the first time in...forever, (I have a small contract CRA job that has yet to pay me once since I started on October 7th even after I literally begged for a more timely payroll #heartless#)...I have now started to struggle with the household bills...and it's the holiday season as too....
Forward looking to his death, which is unfortunately the grim reality; how will I ever begin to pay for this too? What does that even look like? Literally I am so overwhelmed and I cry every single day. Not sleeping. A while back in conversation with a friend of Fernando, starting this GoFundMe page was mentioned but I said no way! Reality check for me is that I/we need help. I cannot do this any longer on my own.
There you have it - this is our story. If you have the ability to help Fernando and our family in this time of devastation, please know it is accepted with the sincerest of appreciation and gratitude. Every bit of assistance received will make a difference. Also, please know that visitors are always welcome in my home. As time passes, we see less and less of people that we know love us. Please make time. Tomorrow is never promised for any of us. I have learned through this experience that sometimes I think people just don't know what to say....I know its hard...but just come hang out and say nothing - your presence is literally everything and means more to us than you will ever know. Thank you so much and blessings to all.
Sincerely on behalf of Julio Fernando Estrada,
The Turner-Obregon Family
On 25Jul2018 Fernando woke up like any other day; went shopping for household supplies and then off to meet his oldest son, Israel, for dinner. His son noticed he was having difficulty with his speech (slurred and random in content) and trouble walking (right sided weakness). Israel called me, (Kimberly the ex-wife), and told me what was happening. Working in healthcare for years I right away came to the conclusion he was having a stroke and directed them to the nearest emergency room - immediately. It was there that a scan was performed and subsequently a large mass in his left frontal lobe was discovered. A tumor. A tumor in the left frontal lobe of his brain.... these words were deafening…and will haunt our family for a lifetime...
Over the course of the next 10 days we will have been to three hospitals and Fernando was "tentatively" diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). After a 7-hour manual debulking and resection brain surgery performed at KU, it was learned through tumor tissue analysis that Fernando’s tumor was the high-grade IDH-wildtype…the very worst type of GBM you can get. He was terminal…literally the worst of the worst...incurable....given 14 months to live of which we have already lived 3 months of those 14....and he is unfortunately progressing too fast. After 30 fractions of radiation and 6 weeks of Temodar (chemo) the tumor grew back (in week 3 actually). The oncologist stopped the Temodar after post 2 weeks after radiation due to ineffectiveness and he is now receiving Avastin infusions every other week in its place. The latest MRI performed on 05Nov2018 showed stable disease for now, although there is a lot of swelling around the cavity of the first tumor which could be an indication of spreading - but until the oncologist says progressive disease - we fight.
To help everyone understand, glioblastomas are malignant Grade IV tumors, where a large portion of tumor cells are reproducing and dividing at any given time (normal-healthy brain cells do not split and divide…ever). These glioblastomas are nourished by an ample and abnormal tumor vessel blood supply. The tumor is predominantly made up of abnormal astrocytic cells, but also contain a mix of different cell types (including blood vessels) and areas of dead cells (necrosis). Glioblastomas are infiltrative and invade into nearby regions of the brain. They can also sometimes spread to the opposite side of the brain through connection fibers (corpus callosum). It is exceedingly rare for glioblastomas to spread outside of the brain.
Glioblastomas may arise de novo, meaning they begin as a Grade IV tumor with no evidence of a lower grade precursor. De novo tumors are the most common form of glioblastoma and tend to be more aggressive. Glioblastomas are usually diagnosed as either IDH-wildtype or IDH-mutant. IDH-wildtype glioblastomas are more common, tend to be more aggressive, and have worse prognosis than IDH-mutant glioblastomas.
When Fernando woke up in ICU the next day after surgery, we learned even though great measures were taken by the surgeons to preserve function, the right side of his body was severely and permanently impaired due to the location within the brain of the tumor that was removed - his tumor rested upon his motor strip. To make things even worse, as if possible, he had also been left with expressive aphasia (the inability to express verbally his words). I am a silver lining person and considering we only lost function of the right side and not all function, and when given time he can speak a little...although sometimes it's hard to understand him. We do indeed consider ourselves incredibly blessed in the big scheme of things.
After 3 days in ICU, 30 days in the hospital and 7 days in physical rehab re-learning how to do things such as walking, talking, feeding, bathing and dressing himself, he was finally released. Our family forever broken, knowing our loved one is dying, without the ability to work, walk or perform most of his activities of daily living, without health insurance, without a savings and without a home to go to, I took responsibility and took him to my home to provide care, understanding until he dies, he will now and forever need assistance. Insult to injury, I was restructured out of my job when he first got sick, but with a small severance...which is now gone.
Maybe some of you are asking who I am....I am the ex-wife, Kimberly. I realized when Fernando first got sick, he had grown quite a network of friends we (myself and our kids) had never met. Fernando and I have remained on good terms since our divorce 9 years ago. Fernando is, and always has been, an extraordinary father, and for this, I felt compelled to help him (reality is there isn't/wasn't anyone else). I am helping him not just for him, but also for our 4 children. Now that he is sick, I have also moved his mother into my home (regarding the day to day care I couldn't do this without her). I am caring for both of them and our 3 remaining children that live at home financially and all on my own; which brings me to this desperate plea for assistance. Anyone that knows me knows that I never ask anyone for anything, but this has proven to be so much bigger than me. There are mounting medical bills at this point, and although KU has been amazing, there are times when we must pay first to receive services. As you can imagine, Fernando is also taking A LOT of medications. Some, like chemo, I was able to obtain for free through the patient assistance programs with the pharmaceutical companies. All others though I pay for out of pocket every month. I have flown his mother back and forth to California several times as well as this is where she technically lives. She lives on social security and is a diabetic...so I also pay for her medications too. I am struggling. Without a steady job and payroll for the first time in...forever, (I have a small contract CRA job that has yet to pay me once since I started on October 7th even after I literally begged for a more timely payroll #heartless#)...I have now started to struggle with the household bills...and it's the holiday season as too....
Forward looking to his death, which is unfortunately the grim reality; how will I ever begin to pay for this too? What does that even look like? Literally I am so overwhelmed and I cry every single day. Not sleeping. A while back in conversation with a friend of Fernando, starting this GoFundMe page was mentioned but I said no way! Reality check for me is that I/we need help. I cannot do this any longer on my own.
There you have it - this is our story. If you have the ability to help Fernando and our family in this time of devastation, please know it is accepted with the sincerest of appreciation and gratitude. Every bit of assistance received will make a difference. Also, please know that visitors are always welcome in my home. As time passes, we see less and less of people that we know love us. Please make time. Tomorrow is never promised for any of us. I have learned through this experience that sometimes I think people just don't know what to say....I know its hard...but just come hang out and say nothing - your presence is literally everything and means more to us than you will ever know. Thank you so much and blessings to all.
Sincerely on behalf of Julio Fernando Estrada,
The Turner-Obregon Family
Organizer
Kimberly Turner
Organizer
Lansing, KS
