Donations for the Viau Family

UPDATE: 10/07/2024

A LOT has been going on with Tim and Erin since the past update. Rather than attempt to put it in my own words (Jody), I am using Erin's FB post update (below). The long and short of it is Tim has been helped all he can be at this time locally. The next step will be frequent trips to Milwaukee. Any donations received will be put toward transportation, lodging and treatment costs.

"Since the time of this post, we received a call that pre op appointments and specialized MRI’s will be THIS Friday. It looks like the surgery will be sometime the week of the 21st (October) because Tim needs to be off of his current treatment for a certain period of time before they can do it.

Well, here we go, for those of you wanting an update on Tim.

We met with the neurology oncologist at Froedert. She had looked at all of his scans & tests from OSF and came prepared with a plan. Her recommendation was surgery followed by a newly approved type of radiation and then most likely chemo. Next, we met with the neurology surgeon who discussed what surgery would entail, the timeline and the possible side effects. Next step is the specialized MRI that can only be done at their facility. At the same appointment, he will have his pre-op then meet one more time with the surgeon at a later date to go over everything. He said he would try to schedule the surgery for that same visit. As far as surgery goes, he would take more of the tumor that has grown and the dead tissue from prior treatments. He has no way of knowing how long he'll be in the hospital, could be days or weeks, depends how he recovers. After he's fully recovered from surgery, radiation will be daily for at least a couple weeks in Milwaukee. This is still a treatment, not a cure. It was a lot of info, there are a lot of moving parts to the plan, but I'm hanging on to hope!

If you’re wondering what we need-it’s prayers. Pray for the doctors that they’re guided by the Almighty Physician. Pray for our kids who will, no doubt, be showered with love through all of this. Pray for Ellamaria’s little heart-she’s already having anxiety about all of it. Pray for Tim in all of this. That there are no surgical complications and that everything goes as planned. He’s 100% on board with this plan as he just wants to get his quality of life back. And please, keep praying for a miracle!!

Thank you all so much for your support. The road ahead is long but we have the best village of family and friends that have our back!"

UPDATE:

I know that many of you are waiting for an update on how things went with Tim’s surgery yesterday. It’s taken me some time to process it all, although I’m not sure that’s fully happened yet either.

The surgeon was able to remove about 95% of the tumor. They had to stop there because it was getting close to the language center of the brain. They’ve determined that it is Glioblastoma-brain cancer. We will meet with the radiation oncologist and oncologist today to determine next steps.

Overall, Tim is doing well. He’s feeling more back to himself than he has in weeks. I’m not sure he understands the gravity of all of this yet but he’s determined to fight.

Ellamaria knows just enough. She hasn’t been told major details but she’s coming to see us today so I’m sure she’ll have a lot of questions.

Please pray. I don’t know what else to ask for at this point. Pray for a miracle. They happen. And we need one.

#ToughLikeTim

UPDATE:

First, thank you for all the prayers, encouragement and love for the Viau Family! Unfortunately, the road forward has not been smooth. Rather than put it in my words (Jody here), I will share Erin's FB posts below. And, to those who have inquired about Ellamaria - THANK YOU! She is staying with us. My family and I are working to keep things as routine as possible for her as well as keep things honest but also age-appropriate and sensitive. While you can share with her that you are praying, please be sensitive and keep the conversation with her as normal as possible.

And to those who have asked what you can do: PRAY! Right now, prayer is needed. Prayers for peace; Prayers for healing; Prayers for provision; Prayers for provision.

THANK YOU!

May 22nd, 2023

"We just received some news: Just got information from the neurosurgeon’s NP. It’s an aggressive tumor in the back left of his brain. Aggressive meaning it grew fast since it was absolutely not there at the end of March. He’ll be having surgery tomorrow to remove it. They do assume that it’s cancer since it’s grown so fast. They’ll be sending it out for pathology and then radiation and chemo. Tim is in good spirits and says he’s going to fight. I cannot believe this is happening and am trying to process this. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. I love you all."

Surgery is scheduled for 12:45 central time tomorrow. They’ll take him back around noon. Probably will take 3-4 hours.

The nurse just showed me the scans. This tumor is 6.2 x 4.7 cm. It’s pretty big.

She reminded us that tomorrow is a big day. We know what we’re facing and most likely what the outcome will be for treatment. “Now we need to just kick its ass!” So that’s what we’ll do!

Keep those prayers coming!!!!"

May 21st, 2023:

"Now that I’ve had a chance to breathe a bit, well not really, but here’s the update on why I begged for prayers yesterday. As most know from my update last week, Tim saw his neurologist on Tuesday and they put him on a new medication to see if it could help with some of the symptoms he was still having. For the last couple weeks he’s had a lot of brain fog and has been exhausted and then this past week started with excruciating headaches. I had assumed it was a side effect of this new medication so I took him to the ER yesterday because they were getting worse. When we got there, they did a CT scan and we were horrified to find out that there is a large mass on his brain that absolutely was not there in March when he had his seizures. They sent him to Green Bay and last night did an MRI. The neurosurgeon will be in this morning to talk with us and to let us know what they think it is and what the plan will be. It was a rough night. He’s in a lot of pain and woke up vomiting at 3:00 a.m. He’s currently snoring up a storm so I hope he’s getting some rest.

As you can imagine, we’re shocked and scared. We’re counting on you all for prayers. Honestly, I’m a little angry at God right now so I’m having a hard time with the “trusting His plan” stuff. Although, I know He is faithful and hears us.

Elllamaria DOES NOT know what is happening. She’s been told they’re working on adjusting his meds. So, if you or your kiddos see her, please don’t say anything.

I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook. But I love my friends and family and want to keep you updated since I know you all care so much about our family."

Hi!

We are Jody Pontius and Misha Gagne - friends and neighbors of the Viau Family. And we are raising funds for Tim and Erin Viau to get them through the next several months.

Many in our community know the Viau Family. They are active members in their local Parish, their daughter attends Holy Name, Erin is the Executive Director of the Tri-County Women's Shelter and Tim works for a trucking company as a Semi Driver.

On Monday, March 27th, Tim had an unexpected and unforeseen medical emergency. He became confused and disoriented and contacted Erin. Because Tim was working in Green Bay and Erin was working at the Women's Shelter, Tim's co-workers were contacted. They were able to locate Tim and contact EMS. Upon transfer to the hospital, Tim had a seizure. Tim was placed on a ventilator and had a lot of testing to determine what his body was dealing with as well as developing a course of treatment. Tim is slowly regaining his strength, is off of the ventilator, out of ICU and in a regular hospital room as of today (March 30th).

However, Tim was diagnosed with a seizure disorder while in the hospital. With being placed on seizure medication, Tim is unable to drive a car for 3 months. And he is unable to operate a semi for 5 YEARS. Driving a semi is what Tim has done for employment all of his adult life and desires to do - but he is unable to for 5 years.

An unforeseen medical emergency was upsetting for Tim, Erin and their daughter. Tim and Erin were already stressed about medical bills, hotel expenses, traveling back and forth, etc... And now they are also dealing with Tim needing to find a new career which will undoubtedly require a new skill set.

As anyone who knows Tim will tell you, he is strong, capable, level-headed and has what it takes to learn, grow and succeed in whatever he puts his mind to. Tim is also a compassionate, caring, giving and selfless man who has an easier time giving than receiving. So I do know that any funds and donations provided will be put to good use, will not be wasted and will be used to propel this family forward. The funds will be used to pay their monthly expenses as well as assist in Tim's career change.

The Viau Family would first and foremost welcome prayers for complete healing. They do have a deep faith in God and know He allows things to happen for a reason even if we are unable to comprehend it. Secondly, Misha and Jody are asking that you consider gifting any amount (no matter how small it may seem to you, every little bit will help).

Thank you, everyone, for your support, love, prayers and giving!

Jody Pontius and Misha Gagne