Hope for Clayton

For those of you who may not know me, my name is Carly Salinas; and I am Clayton's sister. Our family recently received news that has completely changed our lives forever.

Clayton was diagnosed with brain cancer back in 2013. He had a craniotomy, and the surgeon was able to get all of the tumor that was visible on the MRI. He was diagnosed with a low-grade (grade 2) astrocytoma, which means although it was not curable, it would continue to grow back very slowly. He completed his first round of radiation as part of his treatment.

In 2019, the tumor grew back. The doctors decided to continue to closely monitor it; and in April of 2021, they went back in for his second surgery to remove as much as they could. At that time, the tumor was looking and acting similar to the one in 2013. He was also put on chemotherapy.

In January of 2022, an MRI showed the tumor had grown back more aggressive than before. He had his third surgery on April 19, 2022. The pathology report from the surgery confirmed the tumor was much more aggressive and was changed to a grade 4 IDH-Mutant Astrocytoma.

Clayton has completed his last round of radiation and is currently undergoing at-home chemotherapy treatment. The doctor's prognosis three weeks after his surgery was that they expected the overall survival to be around 6 to 8 months without treatment. They also told him that if he did choose to do the radiation and chemotherapy, it could possibly add a few extra months to the prognosis.

Obviously, the entire family was completely shocked and devastated at this news. Clayton's left side of his body has gotten progressively weaker, which will eventually lead to paralysis.

With all of that being said, we believe in miracles. We know who is the Ultimate Healer and Ultimate Physician no matter what man says. Job 14:5 says, "You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer."

We know that God is holding Clayton in the palm of His hand right now; and although we have no idea why this path was chosen for Clayton, we can find comfort in knowing that Jesus loves him more than we can possibly imagine, and we are trusting in His plan for Clayton through all of this.

We are asking for your prayers first and foremost. Obviously, there are and will be various expenses that come with this diagnosis. Clayton is 33 years old and married his beautiful wife, Taylor, in 2019. They welcomed their sweet son, Dallas, in September of 2019 and completed their family with the addition of their beautiful baby girl, River, in July of 2021.

We are so incredibly thankful for everyone who has reached out to all of us and let us know we are being prayed for and thought of. We are all extremely overwhelmed with the generosity and kindness you-all have shown our family. This is going to be a strenuous journey for the entire family, especially Clayton, Taylor, and their children. All that is donated will go directly to them in order to try to ease any financial burden during this time.

We are praising God for each and every blessing and praying for guidance in these uncharted waters. We love you-all and are thankful for everything that is being done on behalf of Clayton and his family.