Help Craig beat Glioblastoma!
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The run down (from Craig):
"Starting back on Saturday, I started having temporary numbness in the right half of my face and fingertips on my right hand. I kind of felt like when your foot falls asleep. It lasted only about 2 minutes, so I didn't think much of it. Few days went by and this numbness kept coming back, happening about 5 times a day. Yesterday, I finally mentioned it to my coworkers Joe, Joshua, and Roni. I love these guys so I took their concerns seriously.
After handling some business, I made my way to the urgent care. Dr. Harrison asked a lot of questions and proceeded to conduct a sort of intense sobriety test on me. Evidently, I had a slight drooping on the right side of my face. He also brought up the fact that I was struggling to say some words (which had been happening for a few months but I wasn't too concerned about it). Worried about a possible stroke, he instructed me to go to the ER at Providence Holy Family Hospital. After waiting for almost 10 hours in the ER, I was given an MRI and had my blood drawn. IV's are not fun. Neither was the MRI now that I think about it. Weird experience.
After a few more hours, the MRI test results came back. Dr. Pluid, great guy, hated to inform me that I had a tumor on the left temporal lobe of my brain. My "dark passenger" (DP), as I have named him, is believed to be causing my symptoms and is about the size of a pin-pong ball. The doctor couldn't tell me a lot other than I needed surgery but assured me that Dr. Carlson, neurosurgeon, would meet with me in the morning. I spent the night in the ER.
This morning, I met with Dr. Carlson. He showed me DP on the MRI, which was kinda cool, and told me the four scenarios. Scenario 1: do nothing, which he said would work if I was 95 and not 20. Scenario 2: DP is cancer that originated in the brain, which would be treated with an aggressive chemotherapy treatment. Scenario 3: DP is a result of cancer that has spread throughout my body, which would also be treated with aggressive chemo. Scenario 4: DP is just a growth and not cancerous. This scenario is a bit tricky as it would result in an open-skull surgery that I would need to be awake for. Due to the location of DP, any surgery to remove him has a high risk of damaging my ability to orally communicate (thanks Ms. Mull for your psychology teachings as I was able to keep up with the jargon).
With that being said, Carlson scheduled me for a biopsy at Sacred Heart Hospital 11am Monday morning so that we can figure out what DP is and how to proceed. I have been allowed to leave the hospital and get some affairs in order. My dad is on his way up to take care of me and help me in this sudden situation.
I hope this answered most questions anyone might have. If not, please feel free to contact me (preferably my text or messaging as my phone is blowing up) and I will get to you as soon as I can.
I want to thank everyone for their kind thoughts, support, and efforts. I'm still coming to terms with what has happened but everyone's love is definitely felt. Thank you."
A note from me:
Craig has been one of my best friends since high school. He is one of the most intelligent, witty, and caring people I have ever met. I made this page because we all know that medical expenses can add up FAST. I'm hoping that as friends, family, and other caring members of the community, we can come together to help take some of the stress out of the Dobis' lives during this hectic time.
Thank you so much,
Morgan McCandless
"Starting back on Saturday, I started having temporary numbness in the right half of my face and fingertips on my right hand. I kind of felt like when your foot falls asleep. It lasted only about 2 minutes, so I didn't think much of it. Few days went by and this numbness kept coming back, happening about 5 times a day. Yesterday, I finally mentioned it to my coworkers Joe, Joshua, and Roni. I love these guys so I took their concerns seriously.
After handling some business, I made my way to the urgent care. Dr. Harrison asked a lot of questions and proceeded to conduct a sort of intense sobriety test on me. Evidently, I had a slight drooping on the right side of my face. He also brought up the fact that I was struggling to say some words (which had been happening for a few months but I wasn't too concerned about it). Worried about a possible stroke, he instructed me to go to the ER at Providence Holy Family Hospital. After waiting for almost 10 hours in the ER, I was given an MRI and had my blood drawn. IV's are not fun. Neither was the MRI now that I think about it. Weird experience.
After a few more hours, the MRI test results came back. Dr. Pluid, great guy, hated to inform me that I had a tumor on the left temporal lobe of my brain. My "dark passenger" (DP), as I have named him, is believed to be causing my symptoms and is about the size of a pin-pong ball. The doctor couldn't tell me a lot other than I needed surgery but assured me that Dr. Carlson, neurosurgeon, would meet with me in the morning. I spent the night in the ER.
This morning, I met with Dr. Carlson. He showed me DP on the MRI, which was kinda cool, and told me the four scenarios. Scenario 1: do nothing, which he said would work if I was 95 and not 20. Scenario 2: DP is cancer that originated in the brain, which would be treated with an aggressive chemotherapy treatment. Scenario 3: DP is a result of cancer that has spread throughout my body, which would also be treated with aggressive chemo. Scenario 4: DP is just a growth and not cancerous. This scenario is a bit tricky as it would result in an open-skull surgery that I would need to be awake for. Due to the location of DP, any surgery to remove him has a high risk of damaging my ability to orally communicate (thanks Ms. Mull for your psychology teachings as I was able to keep up with the jargon).
With that being said, Carlson scheduled me for a biopsy at Sacred Heart Hospital 11am Monday morning so that we can figure out what DP is and how to proceed. I have been allowed to leave the hospital and get some affairs in order. My dad is on his way up to take care of me and help me in this sudden situation.
I hope this answered most questions anyone might have. If not, please feel free to contact me (preferably my text or messaging as my phone is blowing up) and I will get to you as soon as I can.
I want to thank everyone for their kind thoughts, support, and efforts. I'm still coming to terms with what has happened but everyone's love is definitely felt. Thank you."
A note from me:
Craig has been one of my best friends since high school. He is one of the most intelligent, witty, and caring people I have ever met. I made this page because we all know that medical expenses can add up FAST. I'm hoping that as friends, family, and other caring members of the community, we can come together to help take some of the stress out of the Dobis' lives during this hectic time.
Thank you so much,
Morgan McCandless
Organizer and beneficiary
Morgan Mccandless
Organizer
Pullman, WA
John Dobis
Beneficiary