John Corlett Hope and Recovery
Over a weekend, I went into the ER for an issue and they discovered I had a pretty rare form of brain cancer after taking some CT scans. They operated within days to get the first of two legions. One was 5 cm (back left) and 3.8 cm (front right). The first legion removed was with traditional neuro-surgery. The second tumor they are treating with 3 different gamma knife sessions over the course of 60 days. The rest of my body has this same cancer metastasizing in my lungs, prostate, kidneys, and spine (L4 fracture which is very painful and makes walking or standing pretty difficult). The remaining brain and other soft tissue tumors will be treated with a (TKI) pill instead of traditional chemotherapy. It's reported to have many less side effects than the old-school chemo regimen and that sounds perfect to me - They think I will be in recovery for at least 6 months as I take this 6-pill treatment daily. I will become good friends with the MRI machine and my medical team as I go for a new MRI once every few weeks to see the (hopeful) regression of the tumors.
I will use any funds raised to help cover medical expenses, rehab equipment, and help with groceries and other household and family bills while I'm out of full-time work and on long-term disability (which is a large chunk of income missing each month.)
I have also put together a few wishlists at Amazon to help with my recovery and set my house up for better remote work. I have to get out of my bedroom and work on productive things. I may have to work remotely for a long time. If you feel like donating an Amazon item instead of money, it is greatly appreciated. I will probably need to get a wheelchair, and I'd love to be able to afford one of the power versions, but they are kinda pricey, so your help counts!
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3JN8VR5BS4M9?ref_=wl_share
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/14MMY8ERWWANH?ref_=wl_share
Also, soon I will be launching cookwithyourdad.com. It will be a blog focused on getting your family together to prepare everyone's favorite childhood meals and to pass on nutritional theory and cooking skills and education to your children while you're still here. I've found cooking with my kids extremely enjoyable and it's something I feel like sharing about - especially now. Look for it to launch in Aug 2021.