Boomer the Tumor
Donation protected
On Saturday June 9, 2018 I was closing up at work just like any other day. As I was beginning to take out the trash, I got the feeling that I could not speak in sentences, my movements were shaky and I was immediately terrified. When I came to I was surrounded by EMT's asking me questions, which I could not answer. Some as simple as "What is your name?". I had no idea where I was, who these people were surrounding me or what had happened. They later explained to me that I had had a seizure and they were taking me to the hospital. At Kennestone they ran a CT scan and an MRI to get a better look at what had caused this episode. That is the first time I heard those, "You have a brain tumor".
It is located in the front left lobe of my brain. This part of the brain controls your motor skills, speech, memory, problem solving, social skills and other important qualities that are key in life.
After a few more doctors visits I found myself at Emory with Dr. Olson as referred by a dear friend. I started my journey on June 22nd and found myself full of confidence with Dr. Olson. After another MRI and an MRA completed, Dr. Olson stated that due to the location and formality of my tumor it could never be removed. Our next step was to take a biopsy to see what we were dealing with and how to proceed. On July 2nd I went in for surgery, which was terrifying because if they took even a fraction of a movement in the wrong direction I could come out with the loss of one or several of the functions listed above. Thankfully, the surgery went as planned and I only had to stay in the hospital over night due to the increased chance of a seizure. All went well and I was home by noon the next day. I had to wait a week for results which felt like a month.
On July 10th I met with my Oncologist, Neurologist and a Radiologist to discuss the findings and get a plan in place. They told me brain tumors are defined by grades and are on a scale from 1 - 4. From the biopsy they believe I am a grade 2. Although I am on the lower end of the scale they wanted to get very aggressive with treatment. Starting off, chemo will be daily and radiation will be once a day, 5 days a week, for 6 weeks. I will then have another MRI scan to see if there is improvement or growth and take a month off of treatment. After the month is done I continue chemo, 5 consecutive days a month for 12 months and will receive MRI's through out this time to monitor my tumor.
Prior to starting treatment, I chose to speak with a fertility specialist about freezing my eggs as having children has always been very important to me. This process takes about 2 weeks and involves a lot of medicine to get my eggs ready for retrieval. This way I have a back up plan in case the chemo causes me to go into early menopause. We did an ultrasound on the 11th and it turns out I have a great amount of eggs in both ovaries. Therefore, the chances are high that they are able to mature the amount of eggs needed for this process to be successful.
Now that I have a plan and a great team in place the ball will start rolling soon! The next 15 months are going to be difficult ones but I have no doubt that God is watching and with Him and my great support system anything is possible. I created this account to share my story but also to ask for help, neither of which are easy for me. I am very grateful for my insurance but am unprepared for the additional cost that it does not cover. In the past month my life has suddenly taken a different plan than I ever imagined but you know what they say, there is power in numbers! So if you can donate it is appreciated, if not, it's just good to know I have more prayers and positive vibes being sent out into the universe.
Thank you in advance for reading, sharing, donating, praying and for your overall support. I appreciate and cherish you all very much. I will continue to update everyone here so that you too may follow my journey. xxoo
It is located in the front left lobe of my brain. This part of the brain controls your motor skills, speech, memory, problem solving, social skills and other important qualities that are key in life.
After a few more doctors visits I found myself at Emory with Dr. Olson as referred by a dear friend. I started my journey on June 22nd and found myself full of confidence with Dr. Olson. After another MRI and an MRA completed, Dr. Olson stated that due to the location and formality of my tumor it could never be removed. Our next step was to take a biopsy to see what we were dealing with and how to proceed. On July 2nd I went in for surgery, which was terrifying because if they took even a fraction of a movement in the wrong direction I could come out with the loss of one or several of the functions listed above. Thankfully, the surgery went as planned and I only had to stay in the hospital over night due to the increased chance of a seizure. All went well and I was home by noon the next day. I had to wait a week for results which felt like a month.
On July 10th I met with my Oncologist, Neurologist and a Radiologist to discuss the findings and get a plan in place. They told me brain tumors are defined by grades and are on a scale from 1 - 4. From the biopsy they believe I am a grade 2. Although I am on the lower end of the scale they wanted to get very aggressive with treatment. Starting off, chemo will be daily and radiation will be once a day, 5 days a week, for 6 weeks. I will then have another MRI scan to see if there is improvement or growth and take a month off of treatment. After the month is done I continue chemo, 5 consecutive days a month for 12 months and will receive MRI's through out this time to monitor my tumor.
Prior to starting treatment, I chose to speak with a fertility specialist about freezing my eggs as having children has always been very important to me. This process takes about 2 weeks and involves a lot of medicine to get my eggs ready for retrieval. This way I have a back up plan in case the chemo causes me to go into early menopause. We did an ultrasound on the 11th and it turns out I have a great amount of eggs in both ovaries. Therefore, the chances are high that they are able to mature the amount of eggs needed for this process to be successful.
Now that I have a plan and a great team in place the ball will start rolling soon! The next 15 months are going to be difficult ones but I have no doubt that God is watching and with Him and my great support system anything is possible. I created this account to share my story but also to ask for help, neither of which are easy for me. I am very grateful for my insurance but am unprepared for the additional cost that it does not cover. In the past month my life has suddenly taken a different plan than I ever imagined but you know what they say, there is power in numbers! So if you can donate it is appreciated, if not, it's just good to know I have more prayers and positive vibes being sent out into the universe.
Thank you in advance for reading, sharing, donating, praying and for your overall support. I appreciate and cherish you all very much. I will continue to update everyone here so that you too may follow my journey. xxoo
Organizer
Brittany Kindle Remole
Organizer
Marietta, GA