Keith Oetjen Medical Fund

My brother Keith was diagnosed with a brain tumor this Monday following a minor car accident. He had surgery to remove part of that tumor on April 13. Keith is a fighter and he is doing well. We are so grateful to the doctors and nurses who are providing the very best care that he can get.

Thank you for your prayers for Keith and his family during this time. Your support is carrying them and your prayers are heard and felt.

In addition to your thoughts and prayers, another way you can support Keith and his family is by a monetary gift. Keith's surgery and medical care is significant and the cost will be as well. Please continue to keep Keith and the entire family in your thoughts and prayers and if you are able, we would be grateful for any monetary gift to help with medical bills and necessary expenses.

One Week Ago.... Keith with his wife, daughter Caylee (and her boyfriend Nate), his oldest son Clay, and his youngest son Crew celebrating his 21-year wedding anniversary, his son's 16th b-day, and his daughter visiting for a Holiday weekend

April 6th, 2023

April 10th, 2023 - the day life changed

Keith was brought to Honor Health Scottsdale Osborn following a minor car accident where he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He had a grand mal seizure after the car accident. No one was hurt in the accident, not even Keith. In true form, even in a medical emergency accident, he didn't injure anyone..... just a building.

April 13th, 2023 - Surgery Day

Keith.... always smiling even on the way to brain surgery.

Getting covered in prayer by Clay and Crew's pastor at Two Rivers

Keith giving a thumbs up on the way to pre-op

Our parents flew in to be here for the surgery

Us rooting for Keith as he goes in for pre-op

Waiting during the 3.5 hour surgery

Part of the entourage

April 16th - Release Day

Keith's sons here waiting and hoping for discharge. We are two days post op and Keith is stable and doing great. Today he is nervous about the pathology report which we hope to have Thursday or Friday. Pray for peace as he waits for the report.

The uploaded picture cut off the boys. Keith is always positive and smiling and in the photo.... ready to get lunch and get home.

Keith showered and shaved and enjoying some sun.

Want to see the staples? 60 of them!!

What do you do when you want to celebrate brain surgery..... you open some Caymus Cab bottles and enjoy it with family and friends.

April 17th - Keith is resting today and trying to get rid of the big black eye

April 18th

Keith is doing great. He is still on "hospital sleeping schedule". Meaning... he is waking up frequently in the night. We are trying to figure out how to get him to fall asleep and stay asleep for longer than 2 hours. I (Jen, his wife) will call the nurse today and see what her recommendations are.

Keith woke up feeling better today. Yesterday he was good but I think he was processing the circumstances and seemed sad and down. If you know Keith, that is not a natural state for him. I told him that those around him have had a week to process and cry and talk and be mad. He is really only on day two/three of processing what happened last week, what he went through in just a handful of days, what he is going through now to heal and all the what-if's of the future.

Keith's daughter is in town today and she will spend the day with him caring for him and distracting him. His boys went to school today and I get to work and see some clients.

I will share a bit about how we got to this point for those that are curious ;-)

About two months ago Keith felt these odd body sensations that would wake him from his sleep. This happened about 6 times in the night. We knew something was odd but we thought maybe they were panic attacks. We didn't fullly dismiss it and went to see his primary care provider. We found he had some thyroid issues and started him on thyroid. Everything else in his blood work was perfect.

One night after dinner, Keith had what we were calling an "episode". This was the first one that he had while he was awake. It looked like panic to me but there were some odd things that made me think "hum.... this could be more than panic". So, we scheduled him testing with a cardiologist and a neurologist.

On Monday the the 17th Keith had an MRI at 8:00 in the morning. At 12:30 he received a call from that office and they advised him to check into the hospital immediately. On the way to the hospital, he had an "episode" and was in a minor car incident. This situation lead him to be taken the hospital via ambulance where he was admitted and where we quickly discovered the brain tumor.

I will share more later but wanted to give the basics of the story.

God's hand is all over this and I will share more about that later this week.

Here is a photo of the building that Keith had an incident with. Thank God no one was injured and just some glass got broken.

April 20th

Today I want to try and articulate one part of the story of how God's hand is over my husband and our family.

So, as I shared earlier this week, on Monday Keith received a call from the neurologist's office that he needed to get himself to the hospital immediately. I was in a client session and was not able to answer Keith's call. He was calling me to see what hospital he should go to.

Keith decided he would drive to a hospital close to our home in Mesa. So, he finished his lunch and started his journey from Scottsdale/Tempe border to the 101 freeway. He got a mile into his travel and felt the weird sensation that he experiences 30 to 60 seconds before the "episode" happens. He wanted to get off the road and get parked before the "episode" started.

He turned into a strip mall and almost had the car in park. Then, the "episode" started and his foot hit the gas peddle and he entered the building through the glass window (see pic above). He had a kind man spring into action as this man recognized Keith was having a medical emergency. This man tended to Keith while calling paramedics. During these episodes, Keith is coherent and understands what is happening around him. Sometimes he is able to talk and sometimes he isn't. This time he wasn't able to talk and communicate to the kind man what he was experiencing. He just kept putting his finger up signaling the man to hold on a second.

Within seconds the police arrived as well as the paramedics. Ironically, the Scottsdale Police Department was across the street.

When paramedics arrived they could clearly see Keith was having a medical emergency and asked him to sit down on the ground. I think they were guided by the Lord to prepare Keith for what was going to happen next.

The police officers were looking for any identifying and helpful information in Keith's vehicle. Ironically, or should I say by God's providence, Keith had a folder that contained information regarding his recent medical appointments. This information alerted the police officers that Keith was experiencing something that was under the attention of a cardiologist and a neurologist.

The paramedics continued to encourage Keith to lay down on the sidewalk. Moments after Keith laid down on the sidewalk he experienced a grand mal seizure. If you know anything about grand mal seizures you know how intense, scary, and hard they are on the body.

Because of the medical emergency that caused Keith to run through a building, the grand mal seizure that he experienced while already being laid on a sidewalk, the Scottsdale police department across the street, and the medical folder that the police officers found in Keith's car, Keith was rushed by ambulance to Honors Health Scottsdale Osborn hospital.

Honors Health Scottsdale Osborn hospital is a level 1 trauma hospital for stroke and brain conditions. So in conclusion, Keith was headed to a hospital in Mesa and the Lord had plans for him to be cared for at a trauma hospital for stroke and brain conditions.

Immediately upon gathering the details of this information, I knew that the Lord had Keith in His hands. I knew then that God was going to guide us and help us and comfort us through the scariest time of our life.

I will share more later about the God details.

Today can you please pray for peace as we wait the pathology report that we will probably go over on Monday with the surgeon.

Can you pray for our children. Our kids are strong and faithful but this is impacting them.

Please pray for safe travels as Caylee returns home and for each of them to be filled with peace and trust in God's plan for our life.