Financial Relief For Oligodendroglioma

As some of you may or may not know, Rod Newman had brain surgery to remove a grade 2 Oligodendroglioma. The pathology report revealed this rare brain tumor is cancerous. Although much of the mass was removed safely, there are still trace amounts of it left that could not be removed because it would have been too dangerous. The plan of attack is for Rod to undergo 6 months of chemotherapy combined with 5 weeks of radiation therapy. After treatment is completed, he will have an MRI every quarter for the next few years to keep an eye on things to ensure this sleeping giant stays asleep. Rod will be undergoing speech therapy to help with the surgery’s recovery due to the location of the mass being right next to the sensor reception of the left parietal lobe which affects speech/thought process along with the function/feeling /control of his right extremities. Unfortunately, Oligodendroglioma is always terminal. A grade 2 Oligodendroglioma carries a life expectancy of up to 12 years. Given this regrettable diagnosis, Rod has opted to take a medical leave of absence from work to recover and focus on his treatment.

During this time, he is pursuing an early retirement utilizing Social Security Disability (SSDI) so that he can spend the remainder of his time living life to the fullest and spending time with his loved ones. SSDI can take up to a year to be approved and kick in, and long-term disability through his employer requires 12 weeks of being unable to work due to illness which sadly is the case. Medical leave currently is unpaid by the state and unemployment only pays 55% of a person’s average weekly wage over 12 months. Our goal is to raise enough funds to help Rod get through the 12-week time period before he can collect long-term disability. While we realize that times are tough for everyone, we are hoping for help from our community as well as friends and family who are able to support him. Thank you for your consideration, every bit, including a share, helps.