Brian's Brain Tumor Medical Bills
My cousin Brian is the definition of a "good man" and it breaks my heart to see him struggle under the weight of extreme debt due to medical bills brought on by the necessary, life-saving treatment for a brain tumor.
Being no stranger to struggle, Brian has been through a lot in his 32 years of life. Brian was born prematurely and spent his first days in the NICU fighting for his life. It was a miracle Brian survived, and our beloved Grandmother doted on him accordingly. Because of his traumatic birth, Brian has struggled with seizures all his life. Thankfully, the help of medication and a great pediatric neurologist, Brian was able to get a grip on the seizures during childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood.
In 2012, at the age of 26, Brian began having seizures again - but these ones were different. The seizures were so debilitating that he needed to be rushed to the hospital, where doctors tirelessly attempted to find out what was wrong. After enduring a transfer to another facility with a better neurology department, weeks of tests, and many seizures Brian was told the news: he had a brain tumor.
And so, for the second time, Brian began to fight for his life. This time, Brian had to do it without his best friend, and biggest support system: his grandmother, who sadly passed away just a year prior. Even so, Brian kept a smile on his face, and with an air of bravado told his cancer to "Bring It On!"
After diagnosis, Brian had brain surgery to have his tumor surgically resected. This treatment, coupled with medication, elicited a good response from Brian for a time. But, unfortunately, the seizures returned -- the medications were no longer working. The tumor had grown and become medically refractory and no longer operable.
With his doctors (fiancee and family!) by his side, Brian began chemotherapy. Which shrunk the tumor for a time, but this past summer Brian was told that his tumor has continued to grow and radiation therapy was his best chance at shrinking it. His only option.
So, Brian readied himself for another fight. The first week of Brian's radiation treatments he sadly lost his beloved brother, Gary, to a very shocking, untimely death. Brian was forced to both grieve and endure the grueling process of radiation treatments.
It has been a long road for Brian, and the road will only stretch further. Although he has been employed since the age of 15, he has had to takeoff many hours for treatment -- this year alone he was out of work for 6 months. To make matters worse, his insurance doesn't fully cover his medically necessary (and life-saving) treatments. Brian has medical debts that total over twenty-thousand dollars. Although he is currently working overtime in an effort to pay these, he is still only barely able to make payments. And, with necessary repeat observation, medical stays, MRI's, prescriptions etc in his future these debts will only continue to grow.
As Brian's mother put it best - "Brian never asks for anything, and always pushes along on his own". It is my hope this Christmas, that we can all give Brian what he would never dare ask for: the freedom to fight this beast without the burden of overpowering medical debt. Our family wants Brian to experience a time of peace; so he can grieve his brother, marry his fiancee, and live his life.