Colby Strong
Donation protected
All of us at Drifter's in Lac du Bonnet wanted to initiate a go fund me page for Mike and Terri-Lynn McGill to help support them with the expenses they have now and will continue to have due to their son Colby's medical condition. Not only is TL an employee at Drifters, The owners Lynn and Frank are Mike's Aunt and Uncle.
On Nov 24th, 2018, Colby went for a routine eye exam where the Eye Doctor sent him to HSC due to the extreme pressure on the eyes.
There, he was diagnosed with a Craniophangionoma. It’s a tumor on the pituitary gland. Dec 21 2018 was his first brain surgery. They were able to retrieve 95% of the actual tumor. However his tumor was built of two parts. The actual tumor as well as a cystic part made up of fluids.
The tumor is non cancerous!
The surgery went well, however the tumor had caused significant damage to Colby’s pituitary. His body no longer creates hormones that our bodies do naturally. The tumor had damaged the pituitary gland so bad it had given Colby a condition called Diabetes Insipidous which is a condition, that without daily medication, he would urinate until there was no water left in his body and he would dehydrate. He will need to take medication daily for this for the rest of his life. He is also now on prednisone. If we break our arm or get sick, our body naturally produces more to cope with pain and recovery. He needs to take his manually every day twice a day for the rest of his life. He is also on a Thyroid pill for the rest of his life.
After keeping an eye on the tumor for a year, the doctors had realized it had come back and Colby had to undergo another surgery on Nov 25 2019
The cyst came back again, and on April 1, 2020 they did surgery to put an Omaya in which would act like a drain for the cyst so that they could drain it when as needed. This happened more frequently then the doctors seemed to like. The cystic part of the tumor had also multiplied.
After this surgery Colby developed side affects at the end of the year like vomiting, no appetite and headaches.
Due to the cystic part multiplying, Dr. Kazina his surgeon believed the best way to approach this would to be to go in and scrape away the cells on the inside of the cysts. Which brought on Surgery #4 on Nov 4, 2020.
This was a major surgery for Colby equivalent to his first. They were able to get 75% of what they had hoped to get on this one.
During brain surgery an optic nerve was affected in his right eye. Optic nerve number 3. With doing this he was not able to open his right eyelid and lost 95% of his vision. This was a big surgery.
Because they only got 75% of the cells and cystic material Colby needed to have his 5th surgery on January 19, 2021. This surgery was to put the Omaya port back in to enable them to administer medication that would be part of a testament called Interferon Therapy. This treatment started Feb 17, 2021
He will need 3-5 cycles of this therapy. Each cycle is 4 weeks X 3 times a week. Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The treatments leave Colby exhausted and sleeping a lot of the time.
The effectiveness and end result of these treatments is not certain. There is potential for the family to have to travel out of province or out of country in the future for ongoing surgeries/treatments.
Colby's mother Terri-Lynn has been unable to work and it is unknown when she will be able to return. TL has to take Colby to all of his appointments and be his caregiver 24/7 while Mike continues to work to support the family. The loss of income combined with the cost of travelling to and from Lac du Bonnet and winnipeg and the meals while on the road can all add up. Two of Colby's medications are also not covered by Manitoba Medicare and it is unknown what is in store for the family with medical expenses in the future. Your support is so greatly appreciated to help this amazing family and their incredible son!
On Nov 24th, 2018, Colby went for a routine eye exam where the Eye Doctor sent him to HSC due to the extreme pressure on the eyes.
There, he was diagnosed with a Craniophangionoma. It’s a tumor on the pituitary gland. Dec 21 2018 was his first brain surgery. They were able to retrieve 95% of the actual tumor. However his tumor was built of two parts. The actual tumor as well as a cystic part made up of fluids.
The tumor is non cancerous!
The surgery went well, however the tumor had caused significant damage to Colby’s pituitary. His body no longer creates hormones that our bodies do naturally. The tumor had damaged the pituitary gland so bad it had given Colby a condition called Diabetes Insipidous which is a condition, that without daily medication, he would urinate until there was no water left in his body and he would dehydrate. He will need to take medication daily for this for the rest of his life. He is also now on prednisone. If we break our arm or get sick, our body naturally produces more to cope with pain and recovery. He needs to take his manually every day twice a day for the rest of his life. He is also on a Thyroid pill for the rest of his life.
After keeping an eye on the tumor for a year, the doctors had realized it had come back and Colby had to undergo another surgery on Nov 25 2019
The cyst came back again, and on April 1, 2020 they did surgery to put an Omaya in which would act like a drain for the cyst so that they could drain it when as needed. This happened more frequently then the doctors seemed to like. The cystic part of the tumor had also multiplied.
After this surgery Colby developed side affects at the end of the year like vomiting, no appetite and headaches.
Due to the cystic part multiplying, Dr. Kazina his surgeon believed the best way to approach this would to be to go in and scrape away the cells on the inside of the cysts. Which brought on Surgery #4 on Nov 4, 2020.
This was a major surgery for Colby equivalent to his first. They were able to get 75% of what they had hoped to get on this one.
During brain surgery an optic nerve was affected in his right eye. Optic nerve number 3. With doing this he was not able to open his right eyelid and lost 95% of his vision. This was a big surgery.
Because they only got 75% of the cells and cystic material Colby needed to have his 5th surgery on January 19, 2021. This surgery was to put the Omaya port back in to enable them to administer medication that would be part of a testament called Interferon Therapy. This treatment started Feb 17, 2021
He will need 3-5 cycles of this therapy. Each cycle is 4 weeks X 3 times a week. Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The treatments leave Colby exhausted and sleeping a lot of the time.
The effectiveness and end result of these treatments is not certain. There is potential for the family to have to travel out of province or out of country in the future for ongoing surgeries/treatments.
Colby's mother Terri-Lynn has been unable to work and it is unknown when she will be able to return. TL has to take Colby to all of his appointments and be his caregiver 24/7 while Mike continues to work to support the family. The loss of income combined with the cost of travelling to and from Lac du Bonnet and winnipeg and the meals while on the road can all add up. Two of Colby's medications are also not covered by Manitoba Medicare and it is unknown what is in store for the family with medical expenses in the future. Your support is so greatly appreciated to help this amazing family and their incredible son!
Organizer and beneficiary
Tammie McCoy
Organizer
Lac du Bonnet, MB
Terri-Lynn McGill
Beneficiary