HELP!Benita Bradley-BrainTumors-LivinginHotel-Meds
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INTRODUCTION: Hi! My name is Benita Bradley. I am what many refer to as a “walking miracle; and I want to share my story of being diagnosed with two types of brain tumors, having multiple brain surgeries, and radiation surgery to my brain. I also want to share how strokes and migraines are closely related and can leave a person with permanent brain damage, which is true in my case.
IMMEDIATE REASON FOR GOFUNDME:
IMMEDIATE REASON FOR GOFUNDME:
The immediate need for this fundraiser is because my family and I have lost our home. We are currently sharing a one bedroom at an extended stay hotel. The resources that we have of our own are running low rather quickly. As a result of my long term illnesses, I could no longer keep up with the monthly rental payments. Unfortunately, this was the cause of me losing my home. I'm still under treatment and physician's care for the two types of brain tumors that I have. I've outlined my twelve years journey of living with two different types of brain tumors below. I've also included as many pictures and videos as possible, realizing that some of us may never have the opportunity to meet in person. However, I want you to know me through my story. My prayer is to raise enough money to secure a stable home for myself, my daughter, and my granddaughter.
I’m asking everyone who is connected to a group, association, organization, club, social circles, groups, or organizations to share this link with your group. Below is my story of how or why I became homeless.
FIRST STROKE:
My first stroke was in July 2012. The stroke began while I was asleep. It was only a miracle that I was awakened, while home alone, in time to get to the hospital. I had a right brain stroke, so my left side was affected. I had to go through physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.
INITIAL DIAGNOSIS OF THE FIRST TYPE OF BRAIN TUMOR:
During my stay in the hospital, as I was treated for a stroke, it was then they found the brain tumor for the first time. After learning how to walk again, I also had to deal with the residual memory loss, left side weakness in my leg and arm, and I had to learn counting, letters, sentence structure and so much more.
SECOND STROKE: Almost three years later, in February of 2015, I was in the gym, and I started to feel unwell. I went to the hospital, just to make sure it wasn’t another stroke. I arrived at the hospital, after seeing the triage nurse, again I’m rushed to the back, and it seemed as if I went to sleep and awakened days later. I had another stroke.
OVER TWO YEARS LATER, THE TUMOR DIDN’T RESPOND TO TREATMENT, INSTEAD IT DOUBLED IN SIZE AND I BEGAN TO LOSE MY EYE SIGHT: When they did the MRI this time, they discovered that the tumor did not respond to the treatment. In fact, the tumor had doubled in size. Here I go again, back to rehabilitation, strapped to a walker, learning how to walk again, and I felt hopeless. Now surgery was inevitable. I was told that if I didn’t have the surgery to remove the tumor, the next stroke could do irreversible damage or be fatal. I still had no insurance and by this time, I had begun to lose my sight. I couldn’t work, drive, and then they advised that I not live alive, because each stroke was worse than the previous one. With no insurance, no one would do the surgery, so I continued to lose my sight, my mobility, some lapses in memory; and it seemed that depression was multiplied a thousand times.
RETURNED TO ATLANTA:
Fearing for my life, in 2016, I moved back to Atlanta, GA. My loss of vision became increasingly worse, so did the threat of having a massive stroke, that could either leave me physically impaired or even kill me. I had no peripheral at all; and my frontal vision was slowly deteriorating. Once I returned to Atlanta, I was immediately connected to my now NeuroSurgeon. My first visit with him was so surprising.
INITIAL DIAGNOSIS OF SECOND TYPE OD BRAIN TUMOR: My Neurosurgeon sent me to the hospital for a battery of tests. He saw me later that same day and explained that I had two different types of brain tumors attacking my brain simultaneously. He informed me that the first type of brain tumor was impairing my vision and causing strokes, but the second type of brain tumor was the culprit that was taking my eye sight at such a rapid pace. This tumor was causing fluid build ups around and inside my brain. There is no actual tumor there, but the fluid causes so much pressure, mainly behind the eyes, it as categorized as a Pseudotumor Cerebri.
MY DARKEST MOMENTS: My history of suicidal thoughts, tendencies, and attempts began to plague my mind, feeling hopeless, because I had no insurance, no money, and no other resources. I felt completely forsaken, lost and abandoned. It was a very dark time for me. The more I battled with my own thoughts, I knew if I didn’t make a sudden move, my fourth attempt would more than likely be my last attempt at ending of all my pain, fears, and disappointments. My third attempt landed me in ICU, then I was mandatorily sent to the Behavioral Health Hospital. Depression is a beast that we rarely like to discuss.
FIRST ROUND OF BRAIN SURGERIES FOR THE FIRST TUMOR: I cried a lot, because I really thought I was going to die. By late 2016, I relocated to Atlanta in September of 2016. I had finally received health insurance. My first brain surgery was December 19, 2016. Once I relocated to Atlanta, the Neurosurgeon took one look at my MRI, that he ordered, and determined that I had two types of brain tumors, attacking my brain simultaneously. The first type of brain tumor surgery was December 19, 2016.
FIRST SURGERY FOR THE SECOND TYPE OF BRAIN TUMOR: The other type of brain tumor surgery was May 25, 2017. I was so happy and I felt as if my life was getting back on track. The only thing I had to worry about was my annual MRI SCANS and continuing the treatment medications. Well, during the first surgery, because of the location of the tumor, my Neurosurgeon could only remove 75% of the tumor. That left 25% that still had to be treated and monitored. My family and I were happy.
DAUGHTER DIED SUDDENLY: In March of 2018, my eldest daughter died suddenly and totally unexpectedly, after being married for only 27 days. We still don’t know what happened. That caused me to go into an even deeper depression that I still battle with until this day.
THE TUMOR HAS GROWN BACK: In 2021, during my annual scan, we discovered that the tumor had grown back and had began to attach itself to other parts of my brain. Everything started to move so quickly this time, but I wasn’t mentally prepared. I was still grieving my daughter, I had not recovered financially from Covid-19, and I thought I wouldn’t make it through another brain surgery. So, now I’m heading back into surgery, but this time, it can’t wait. Time was of the essence, because the tumor had began to grow in a different more dangerous direction.
SECOND ROUND OF BRAIN SURGERIES FOR THE FIRST BRAIN TUMOR:In September 2021, I had my annual scan and my surgeon informed me that I needed another surgery. I told him I would call the office and schedule it. He informed me that we had to schedule the surgery while I was in his office that same day. Less than a month later, I under went the second brain surgery to remove the tumor that grew back. By now, I’ve gone through all of my savings, I had maxed out all of my credit cards, I felt as if I was drowning financially; and truth be told, I was indeed drowning financially. I did not want anyone to know how bad things were for me financially, so I would put on my happy face in public, and cry in private.
MASSIVE HEMORRHAGING:Three weeks after the surgery, a blood vessel erupted and I was hemorrhaging to death. I was transported to the hospital, via ambulance. Once they found where I was hemorrhaging from, I was taken into surgery. I lost so much blood, according to the doctor's report, all of my organs had begun to shut down. I was given three blood transfusions. I think I spent a little over a week or so in the hospital. I was told that I was transitioning or dying, because I was hemorrhaging so much and so fast. I had one request of my medical team and that was to not let me die. I saw myself dying, as I left my body; and my body grew cold.
At some point, I saw a very realistic vision of my daughter, who had passed away. She was in a beautiful green field, and she was wearing this beautiful lavender dress. She kept telling me, “Come with me Mommy, now I can have you to myself.” The more she beckoned or me to come to her, the more I could fell my body floating. I really wanted to go all the way with her, but something was calling me back. It was my other daughter, who was standing at my bedside in the hospital.
EMERGENCY SURGERY TO FIX THE BLOOD VESSEL AND STOP THE HEMORRHAGING: When the paramedics asked what hospital I wanted them to take me to and I told them, they told me that hospital was too far away and I wouldn’t make it because I hemorrhaging too much and too fast. I could feel life leaving my body. We made it to the nearest hospital. After about two days, the team of doctors found the vessel and repaired it. Before they repaired the vessel, all of my organs had begun to fail. So, I had a team of Doctors caring for me that included a Pulmonologist, Cardiologist, Neurologist, ENT SURGEON, and of course, I had entered into Renal Failure. I had lapses in memory, because I was hemorrhaging so fast, until I wasn’t getting enough oxygen to my brain.
RADIATION SURGERY TO MY BRAIN: In April of 2022, I had Gamma Knife Radiation Surgery to my brain to ensure that the tumor doesn’t grow back a third time, prompting a third surgery. Radiation has been tough on me. The fatigue, lapse in memory and recall, still struggling with depression and trying to find new normals, are more than I expected.
SECOND SURGERY FOR THE SECOND TYPE OF BRAIN TUMOR: My last surgery, for the second type of brain tumor was in July of 2022. I’m doing well, with that, but financially it seems as if I’m drowning and the water just won’t stop coming. Since 2016, until now, I have exhausted all of my financial resources and I literally am to the point where I am just trying to keep my head above water, pay my bills up for a few months, pay off bills, pay off credit cards, pay back money I have had to borrow during surgery times, and get some much needed dental work done. I had no idea that having radiation to my brain, would cause problems with my teeth and gums. I’m finding out that when you have radiation to the brain or head, it can harm normal cells in the mouth.
This GoFundMe is important to me, because as I stated, I am single and I have been on this journey since 2012. Between having about six surgeries to deal with two different types of brain tumors, losing my daughter suddenly, being diagnosed with depression and anxiety, Covid-19, losing my juicing business, losing my mother suddenly, having radiation surgery to my brain, hemorrhaging almost to death, being diagnosed with Adult ADHD, and having limited finances, I don’t see any other way out. This was my absolute last hope.
FUNDS: As I stated previously, the immediate
THANK YOU FOR READING MY STORY AND DONATING: Thank you for reading about my journey. Some of the pictures are really graphic, but they give you a true inside look into my journey.
I
I’m asking everyone who is connected to a group, association, organization, club, social circles, groups, or organizations to share this link with your group. Below is my story of how or why I became homeless.
FIRST STROKE:
My first stroke was in July 2012. The stroke began while I was asleep. It was only a miracle that I was awakened, while home alone, in time to get to the hospital. I had a right brain stroke, so my left side was affected. I had to go through physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.
INITIAL DIAGNOSIS OF THE FIRST TYPE OF BRAIN TUMOR:
During my stay in the hospital, as I was treated for a stroke, it was then they found the brain tumor for the first time. After learning how to walk again, I also had to deal with the residual memory loss, left side weakness in my leg and arm, and I had to learn counting, letters, sentence structure and so much more.
SECOND STROKE: Almost three years later, in February of 2015, I was in the gym, and I started to feel unwell. I went to the hospital, just to make sure it wasn’t another stroke. I arrived at the hospital, after seeing the triage nurse, again I’m rushed to the back, and it seemed as if I went to sleep and awakened days later. I had another stroke.
OVER TWO YEARS LATER, THE TUMOR DIDN’T RESPOND TO TREATMENT, INSTEAD IT DOUBLED IN SIZE AND I BEGAN TO LOSE MY EYE SIGHT: When they did the MRI this time, they discovered that the tumor did not respond to the treatment. In fact, the tumor had doubled in size. Here I go again, back to rehabilitation, strapped to a walker, learning how to walk again, and I felt hopeless. Now surgery was inevitable. I was told that if I didn’t have the surgery to remove the tumor, the next stroke could do irreversible damage or be fatal. I still had no insurance and by this time, I had begun to lose my sight. I couldn’t work, drive, and then they advised that I not live alive, because each stroke was worse than the previous one. With no insurance, no one would do the surgery, so I continued to lose my sight, my mobility, some lapses in memory; and it seemed that depression was multiplied a thousand times.
RETURNED TO ATLANTA:
Fearing for my life, in 2016, I moved back to Atlanta, GA. My loss of vision became increasingly worse, so did the threat of having a massive stroke, that could either leave me physically impaired or even kill me. I had no peripheral at all; and my frontal vision was slowly deteriorating. Once I returned to Atlanta, I was immediately connected to my now NeuroSurgeon. My first visit with him was so surprising.
INITIAL DIAGNOSIS OF SECOND TYPE OD BRAIN TUMOR: My Neurosurgeon sent me to the hospital for a battery of tests. He saw me later that same day and explained that I had two different types of brain tumors attacking my brain simultaneously. He informed me that the first type of brain tumor was impairing my vision and causing strokes, but the second type of brain tumor was the culprit that was taking my eye sight at such a rapid pace. This tumor was causing fluid build ups around and inside my brain. There is no actual tumor there, but the fluid causes so much pressure, mainly behind the eyes, it as categorized as a Pseudotumor Cerebri.
MY DARKEST MOMENTS: My history of suicidal thoughts, tendencies, and attempts began to plague my mind, feeling hopeless, because I had no insurance, no money, and no other resources. I felt completely forsaken, lost and abandoned. It was a very dark time for me. The more I battled with my own thoughts, I knew if I didn’t make a sudden move, my fourth attempt would more than likely be my last attempt at ending of all my pain, fears, and disappointments. My third attempt landed me in ICU, then I was mandatorily sent to the Behavioral Health Hospital. Depression is a beast that we rarely like to discuss.
FIRST ROUND OF BRAIN SURGERIES FOR THE FIRST TUMOR: I cried a lot, because I really thought I was going to die. By late 2016, I relocated to Atlanta in September of 2016. I had finally received health insurance. My first brain surgery was December 19, 2016. Once I relocated to Atlanta, the Neurosurgeon took one look at my MRI, that he ordered, and determined that I had two types of brain tumors, attacking my brain simultaneously. The first type of brain tumor surgery was December 19, 2016.
FIRST SURGERY FOR THE SECOND TYPE OF BRAIN TUMOR: The other type of brain tumor surgery was May 25, 2017. I was so happy and I felt as if my life was getting back on track. The only thing I had to worry about was my annual MRI SCANS and continuing the treatment medications. Well, during the first surgery, because of the location of the tumor, my Neurosurgeon could only remove 75% of the tumor. That left 25% that still had to be treated and monitored. My family and I were happy.
DAUGHTER DIED SUDDENLY: In March of 2018, my eldest daughter died suddenly and totally unexpectedly, after being married for only 27 days. We still don’t know what happened. That caused me to go into an even deeper depression that I still battle with until this day.
MOTHER DIED SUDDENLY FROM A MASSIVE STROKE:
The most difficult thing, for me, was making the initial recommendation, along with her doctors, to take her off the machines. Her stroke was so severe, one side of her brain shifted the other side. There was no possible recovery. My siblings and I had lost our last living parent. When the nurse attempted to unplug my mother, one of the cords choked my mother. When I made the nurse aware, he then told me that the last plug was on the side of the bed where I stood. He instructed me up and pull the final plug.
The most difficult thing, for me, was making the initial recommendation, along with her doctors, to take her off the machines. Her stroke was so severe, one side of her brain shifted the other side. There was no possible recovery. My siblings and I had lost our last living parent. When the nurse attempted to unplug my mother, one of the cords choked my mother. When I made the nurse aware, he then told me that the last plug was on the side of the bed where I stood. He instructed me up and pull the final plug.
Once I pulled the plug, Mother took her last breath.
THE TUMOR HAS GROWN BACK: In 2021, during my annual scan, we discovered that the tumor had grown back and had began to attach itself to other parts of my brain. Everything started to move so quickly this time, but I wasn’t mentally prepared. I was still grieving my daughter, I had not recovered financially from Covid-19, and I thought I wouldn’t make it through another brain surgery. So, now I’m heading back into surgery, but this time, it can’t wait. Time was of the essence, because the tumor had began to grow in a different more dangerous direction.
SECOND ROUND OF BRAIN SURGERIES FOR THE FIRST BRAIN TUMOR:In September 2021, I had my annual scan and my surgeon informed me that I needed another surgery. I told him I would call the office and schedule it. He informed me that we had to schedule the surgery while I was in his office that same day. Less than a month later, I under went the second brain surgery to remove the tumor that grew back. By now, I’ve gone through all of my savings, I had maxed out all of my credit cards, I felt as if I was drowning financially; and truth be told, I was indeed drowning financially. I did not want anyone to know how bad things were for me financially, so I would put on my happy face in public, and cry in private.
MASSIVE HEMORRHAGING:Three weeks after the surgery, a blood vessel erupted and I was hemorrhaging to death. I was transported to the hospital, via ambulance. Once they found where I was hemorrhaging from, I was taken into surgery. I lost so much blood, according to the doctor's report, all of my organs had begun to shut down. I was given three blood transfusions. I think I spent a little over a week or so in the hospital. I was told that I was transitioning or dying, because I was hemorrhaging so much and so fast. I had one request of my medical team and that was to not let me die. I saw myself dying, as I left my body; and my body grew cold.
At some point, I saw a very realistic vision of my daughter, who had passed away. She was in a beautiful green field, and she was wearing this beautiful lavender dress. She kept telling me, “Come with me Mommy, now I can have you to myself.” The more she beckoned or me to come to her, the more I could fell my body floating. I really wanted to go all the way with her, but something was calling me back. It was my other daughter, who was standing at my bedside in the hospital.
EMERGENCY SURGERY TO FIX THE BLOOD VESSEL AND STOP THE HEMORRHAGING: When the paramedics asked what hospital I wanted them to take me to and I told them, they told me that hospital was too far away and I wouldn’t make it because I hemorrhaging too much and too fast. I could feel life leaving my body. We made it to the nearest hospital. After about two days, the team of doctors found the vessel and repaired it. Before they repaired the vessel, all of my organs had begun to fail. So, I had a team of Doctors caring for me that included a Pulmonologist, Cardiologist, Neurologist, ENT SURGEON, and of course, I had entered into Renal Failure. I had lapses in memory, because I was hemorrhaging so fast, until I wasn’t getting enough oxygen to my brain.
RADIATION SURGERY TO MY BRAIN: In April of 2022, I had Gamma Knife Radiation Surgery to my brain to ensure that the tumor doesn’t grow back a third time, prompting a third surgery. Radiation has been tough on me. The fatigue, lapse in memory and recall, still struggling with depression and trying to find new normals, are more than I expected.
SECOND SURGERY FOR THE SECOND TYPE OF BRAIN TUMOR: My last surgery, for the second type of brain tumor was in July of 2022. I’m doing well, with that, but financially it seems as if I’m drowning and the water just won’t stop coming. Since 2016, until now, I have exhausted all of my financial resources and I literally am to the point where I am just trying to keep my head above water, pay my bills up for a few months, pay off bills, pay off credit cards, pay back money I have had to borrow during surgery times, and get some much needed dental work done. I had no idea that having radiation to my brain, would cause problems with my teeth and gums. I’m finding out that when you have radiation to the brain or head, it can harm normal cells in the mouth.
This GoFundMe is important to me, because as I stated, I am single and I have been on this journey since 2012. Between having about six surgeries to deal with two different types of brain tumors, losing my daughter suddenly, being diagnosed with depression and anxiety, Covid-19, losing my juicing business, losing my mother suddenly, having radiation surgery to my brain, hemorrhaging almost to death, being diagnosed with Adult ADHD, and having limited finances, I don’t see any other way out. This was my absolute last hope.
FUNDS: As I stated previously, the immediate
MIGRAINES & PERMANENT BRAIN DAMAGE:
In April of 2023, I met with a new neurologist to address the migraines I have. My migraines were lasting sometimes up to three days per episode. During my office visit, we discussed my latest brain scans. That is when we discovered that the strokes had caused permanent brain damage to certain areas of my brain.
We also discovered that the tumor, although stable, has wrapped around my carotid artery. It is the artery that would cause me to have another stroke, should the tumor put any squeezing like pressure on the artery.
CATARACTS CAUSED BY RADIATION TO MY BRAIN:
Surgery was done in July 2023.
THANK YOU FOR READING MY STORY AND DONATING: Thank you for reading about my journey. Some of the pictures are really graphic, but they give you a true inside look into my journey.
I
Organizer
Benita Bradley
Organizer
Duluth, GA