Support Keagan's Brain Cancer Battle

Update 2/16/25:

Keagan has passed onto heaven. They were able to make his passing peaceful and he was surrounded by family. The cancer had grown back with a vengeance growing back bigger than it's original size which caused his brain to bleed and the increased pressure from these two things combined ultimately caused his passing.

Update 2/12/25:

Keagan will be starting chemo and radiation tomorrow. He will be on oral chemo daily for 6 weeks with radiation Monday-Friday for 6 weeks. Thankfully he is able to do radiation close to home. After 6 weeks of radiation and chemo there will be a 28 day break before starting a second 6 week cycle of oral chemo, followed by another 28 day break. There will be a total of 6 cycles of chemo therapy each 6 weeks long. Aggressive cancer means aggressive treatment and we are praying that Keagans cancer responds well to the treatment with no side effects. He still has minimal movement in the left side of his body. He has started physical therapy and occupational therapy and is working very hard to restore his function.

Update 12/27/24:

Keagan had his laser ablation today. They were able to laser out some of the deeper parts of the tumor. He has about 1/3 of the tumor remaining. There is a possibility that we will be able to do another ablation in a few weeks to remove half of the remaining tumor, but the other half won't be able to be safely removed by ablation because of where it's at. The neurosurgeon believes at this point it would be best to get chemo/radiation started and we can think about the option of doing another ablation in the coming weeks. Chemotherapy will be a pill he takes at home daily for 6 weeks and radiation will be a 15 minute appointment Monday-Friday for 6 weeks. His full biopsy results returned and he has Pediatric Stage 4 Glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer. Origonally they were thinking he had a low grade glioblastoma, but the deeper parts of the tumor removed during surgery and sent off for biopsy were confirmed to be high grade. There are several different mutations that Glioblastomas can have and some are beneficial because they respond better to available treatments. There is an "IDH" mutation that we were hoping to have because of this very reason, but unfortunately his tumor does not have that mutation. There is also a term called methylated vs unmethylated. If a tumor is unmethylated it has the ability to repair itself making it very difficult to treat. The good news is that Keagan's tumor is methylated meaning it does not have that ability. About 3 days after his brain surgery on 12/17 he could not feel or move his left arm. He also suffered about 14 seizures between post-op day 3 and 6. Thankfully his seizures are under better control now after medication adjustments and this morning we found out he can lift his left arm again! We are hopeful that over the next few weeks he will be able to move and feel his left hand and the left leg tingling will stop. Physical therapy and ocupational therapy will be started very soon to get him stronger

Update 12/17/24:

Keagan had his brain surgery today. He was in surgery for six hours. The neurosurgeon was aiming to remove 80% of the tumor today and due to some seizures during surgery they removed about 65%. They said seizures can be common during brain surgery because the brain tissue is sensitive to stimulation. About 2 hours of the surgery was them deciding how to safely proceed without provoking more seizures. They started him on a second seizure medication. The neurosurgeon thinks with the laser ablation procedure, happening sometime shortly after christmas, we will get to that 80% we were hoping for. Keagans tumor is in a difficult spot so the neurosurgeon is happy with 80%. He said the size of the tumor is comparable to two clementines kissing eachother in a staggered position. They were able to use a dye to light up the areas of the tumor that are more active/high grade and there was some in the deeper part of the brain lighting up. We are waiting for the tumor to be sent off to tell us more about the type of tumor. It may be a low grade tumor that has been growing for a few years and some parts progressed to a higher grade or it could be that the tumor came on quick and has been high grade from the start. We are hoping that it is a low grade tumor because they aren't as aggressive. We are also hoping it is a type of tumor that responds well to chemo/radiation so it's not as tough to treat the remaining 20% that cant be removed with surgery and the ablation. He is now in the ICU and will be on brain rest with no lights for 2 days. If all goes as planned we are hoping he can leave in 4 days and return after Christmas for the laser ablation.

Update 11/22/24:

Henry Ford has been nothing short of amazing. The advanced technology has provided us options we didn't even know were possible. The neurosurgeon is confident that at least some portion of the tumor can be removed surgically. During surgery they are able to do detailed brain mapping with testing of motor and sensory function to know what portions of the tumor they are able to safely remove. The parts of the tumor that have extended deep into the brain tissue will likely not be able to be removed surgically due to the risk of causing permanent deficits in motor or sensory function. The neurosurgeon plans to do a laser ablation to those deep parts of the tumor, likely the day after brain surgery. This type of brain cancer spreads throughout the brain like fog and does not have clear borders. This makes it difficult to fully remove with surgery and laser ablation. For any remaining cancer a targeted chemotherapy or radiation would be used. He is scheduled for surgery December 17th. For the time being Keagan has been sent home (with medications and restrictions of course) until he returns for surgery. Please keep praying for our Keag . We are so beyond thankful for all of the support and love we have recieved.

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Update 11/20/24:

Keagan's brain biopsy went well without any complications. The "quick results" obtained through freezing a sample of the tumor reveals that it is a low grade glio astrocytoma. Although this is still brain cancer we are relieved by this news because it is not as aggressive as the glioblastoma they were originally thinking he had. The full biopsy results can take up to a week to return and will lets us know a little more about the DNA of this cancer, what specific grade it is, and what treatment is needed to fight it. Today he is headed to Henry Ford so we can start discussing treatment options!

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Update 11/18/24:

We are so thankful for everyone who has offered a donation or prayer and can't thank you enough for supporting our family through this dark time. Unfortunately we have learned that Keagan's brain tumor is too large and deep to safely remove by surgery. He will be undergoing a brain biopsy tomorrow to determine what type of brain cancer he has. He will then be transferred to a higher level of care at a larger hospital equipped for more compelx brain cancers to recieve treatment.

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Family and friends,

Our family has received devastating news in regard to our brother and son, Keagan Kolbe. There is still so much unknown. He is just 19 years old and was completely healthy up until he wasn't. He has been in the ICU undergoing numerous tests to determine what has caused him to have what we think was an unwitnessed seizure. They have found a large mass deep in his brain. We are still not sure what we are up against and are hoping the days ahead bring more answers. This is likely going to require a brain biopsy and possibly transfering to a bigger hospital for extensive medical treatment. I wanted to raise money for my mother not only to help with the financial burden of medical expense but also to take the worry of needing to return to work to keep up on non-medical bills like her home, food and lodging so that she can be at the hospital with her baby. We truly appreciate any help you are able to offer even if it is just a prayer.