Help Alan Fight Stage IV Brain Cancer

To our friends and family,

I wish I were announcing updates on our wedding but unfortunately, Alan needs our help.

On May 4th, Alan suffered brain swelling and subsequent seizure while alone at home, hitting his head and only regaining intermittent consciousness due to the persistence of our rescue dog, Regina. He was incapacitated for up to 5 hours before I came home and discovered him. He was unable to stand on his own or speak, however, he was able to utter the word, "seizure" and at that point, I called the paramedics.

Alan had complained of dizziness the morning of his episode but had never experienced a seizure before this. After hours in the emergency room and multiple tests, the doctors confirmed the swelling, the seizure, and that there was a large mass in his brain.

This mass was likely the culprit behind the swelling and the seizure despite Alan showing zero symptoms leading up to this incident.

The priority at this point was to stabilize Alan and biopsy this mass to understand what exactly we were dealing with. This required emergency surgery, which did not go without its complications. Due to Alan's particular brain anatomy and the difficult location of the mass, he hemorrhaged during and after surgery.

I will never forget the look in his nurses' eyes when Alan returned from his first surgery of the night. She told us, "something is wrong. He's different." Alan went into a second brain surgery just hours after his first. Now, the priority was to stop his bleeding.

There are no words to properly express my gratitude for the staff at Mission Hospital. Due to the quick thinking of Alan's nurse and surgeon, they not only repaired the hemorrhage--they removed "a good amount" of the tumor during their second operation and provided us with the prime biopsy sample that has got us to this point.

The results are a mixed bag. On one hand, Alan has been diagnosed with one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer--Glioblastoma. On the other hand, we know with certainty what we are dealing with and we were fortunate enough to receive this partial treatment and diagnosis in just a week.

Alan recovered from back-to-back brain surgery, regaining his speech and the right-side mobility that was feared to have been comprised during the operation. He surprised everyone and I have no doubt he'll continue to do so.

He is now undergoing speech, occupational, and physical therapy at one of SoCal's top rehabilitation facilities and is expected to return home by early June. From there, we will meet with his oncologist and begin exploring our options--some of which may not be covered by conventional insurance. Hence, the GoFundMe.

The journey ahead will be long, challenging, and perhaps most frightening--uncertain. That being said, here's what we do know:

- Time is of the essence and the window for healing that Alan's surgeon has given us is a blessing but we need to make moves as soon as the experts consider Alan healthy enough for conventional treatment (chemotherapy and radiation)

- We will have limited income during and potentially after treatment as Alan fights this aggressive cancer

- The treatment timeline is uncertain; however, continuous testing will keep us informed of his progress and needs

- Alan's stubbornness has remained entirely in tact and he feels entirely capable of tackling whatever the universe has in store--honestly, his determination is so strong it is bordering on annoying!

- We have a wedding in October we have been trying to have since 2019!

- We are so extremely grateful for any kind of support we receive

We are reaching out to our community to help support:

- Medical expenses and equipment that are not covered by insurance

- Unanticipated expenses associated with cancer treatments

- Basic living expenses such as food and utilities

- Accommodation and logistics for Alan's treatments

- Any other additional caregiving needs

As many of you know, Alan is not only a loving husband but a cherished son and brother. This is not the first time he has been faced with uncertainty and because of that, we know that this is not where his story ends. The difference is that this time, he will have an army behind him!

We hope that the community joins Alan in this fight for his life. We have faith in Alan and in his doctors and are hopeful that the Universe will guide us through this--we just need to lean into the turns together.

Please contribute whatever you can and forward this post to your social media network to help spread the word.

We thank you for your kindness and support during this uncertain time and appreciate any prayers, thoughts, or good vibes!

Cheers,

Maria Gigliotti and the Vega Butron Family