Well Sooner Brothers,
It looks like my brain cancer battle is heading into the fourth quarter. This was never going to be a battle I was going to win, but I sure had hope that I was going to have more time.
In June and July, I started having very mild seizures. I had 3 in June and 2 in July. They didn't last long, I didn't lose consciousness, but they were signs of things to come. But at time, my doctors were not concerned at all. My MRIs were coming up completely clear and my oncologist said I could count on at least 18 more months and maybe longer. Equipped with that god news, I decided to get very serious about my weight. I had put on 15 pounds in 2019 thanks to southern hospitality (we were showered with casseroles and desserts for months!) and lack of exercise (I just didn't have the strength for a long time). But July 15th, I felt the best I've felt all year. I eliminated all sugar and refined carbs and fast food. I walked every day.Then I got strong enough to run every day.Then I got strong enough to add push ups and light weight reps. Today, I am 15 pounds lighter than I was on July 15th.
Five days ago, I had a bad seizure. My left leg went completely numb and my foot shook uncontrollably. It lasted about 15 minutes. I got home and slept for 14 hours straight. I had an MRI test the next day and got the results yesterday. My brain tumor is back though it is small enough to be considered just a "lesion". But the fact that it came back after a very successful surgery, six weeks of targeted radiation, and six months of chemotherapy means this is a very aggressive disease that is resistant to all standard medical options.
I've been put on steroids to reduce the swelling and inflammation in my brain and my anti-seizure meds have been maxed out. Next week I will start an IV drug that should stop the blood supply to my tumor, among other healthy organs. Most people respond very well to it, but in rare cases it can cause enough damage to your GI tract or heart to kill you. I'll have to be monitored closely.
I have one last hope. My cancer contains an extremely rare gene fusion / mutation. In layman's terms, two parts of my DNA hooked up that never should have. When they did, my body forgot how to stop cancer cells from growing. Only 3% of all tested brain tumors have this fusion. Last year, the FDA fast track approved a new drug that directly targets and unfuses that mutation. The very limited results were near miraculous. It works fast - you see results in about two months. 25% of the trial patients had their tumors disappear completely. 50% saw their tumors shrink.
Here's the bad news - none of those tests were on patients with brain tumors. Brain tumors are notoriously hard to treat because the brain has mechanisms to stop drugs from getting to it. And those miraculous results I mentioned? Those tests were on 55 patients total. So, this basically has odds similar to buying a lottery ticket. If it doesn't work, I'm looking at less than six months.
Please continue the prayers. Specifically, pray for my family. My wife and I have been married for 20 years and we have a 7th grader and a 9th grader. I'm far more worried about them than I am me. I know I'm going to a better place and will be free of this terrible disease soon. No more pain, no more tears. And I made sure all long time ago that my family will want for nothing financially for a very long time. But this is going to be tough on them emotionally for a long time.
Let's choose to stay positive. OU football will be back in 23 days. The Sooners are loaded. The leadership and maturity that Hurts will bring is going to be an immeasurable asset. Riley is nothing short of a genius. Grinch literally cannot be worse than defensive coaches of the past, and any measurable improvement should keep us in contention to meet our goals. It's going to be a fun football season. I plan to enjoy every single minute of it and cheer like hell from Athens.
“When you are going through hell, keep on going. Never never never give up.”– Winston Churchill
It looks like my brain cancer battle is heading into the fourth quarter. This was never going to be a battle I was going to win, but I sure had hope that I was going to have more time.
In June and July, I started having very mild seizures. I had 3 in June and 2 in July. They didn't last long, I didn't lose consciousness, but they were signs of things to come. But at time, my doctors were not concerned at all. My MRIs were coming up completely clear and my oncologist said I could count on at least 18 more months and maybe longer. Equipped with that god news, I decided to get very serious about my weight. I had put on 15 pounds in 2019 thanks to southern hospitality (we were showered with casseroles and desserts for months!) and lack of exercise (I just didn't have the strength for a long time). But July 15th, I felt the best I've felt all year. I eliminated all sugar and refined carbs and fast food. I walked every day.Then I got strong enough to run every day.Then I got strong enough to add push ups and light weight reps. Today, I am 15 pounds lighter than I was on July 15th.
Five days ago, I had a bad seizure. My left leg went completely numb and my foot shook uncontrollably. It lasted about 15 minutes. I got home and slept for 14 hours straight. I had an MRI test the next day and got the results yesterday. My brain tumor is back though it is small enough to be considered just a "lesion". But the fact that it came back after a very successful surgery, six weeks of targeted radiation, and six months of chemotherapy means this is a very aggressive disease that is resistant to all standard medical options.
I've been put on steroids to reduce the swelling and inflammation in my brain and my anti-seizure meds have been maxed out. Next week I will start an IV drug that should stop the blood supply to my tumor, among other healthy organs. Most people respond very well to it, but in rare cases it can cause enough damage to your GI tract or heart to kill you. I'll have to be monitored closely.
I have one last hope. My cancer contains an extremely rare gene fusion / mutation. In layman's terms, two parts of my DNA hooked up that never should have. When they did, my body forgot how to stop cancer cells from growing. Only 3% of all tested brain tumors have this fusion. Last year, the FDA fast track approved a new drug that directly targets and unfuses that mutation. The very limited results were near miraculous. It works fast - you see results in about two months. 25% of the trial patients had their tumors disappear completely. 50% saw their tumors shrink.
Here's the bad news - none of those tests were on patients with brain tumors. Brain tumors are notoriously hard to treat because the brain has mechanisms to stop drugs from getting to it. And those miraculous results I mentioned? Those tests were on 55 patients total. So, this basically has odds similar to buying a lottery ticket. If it doesn't work, I'm looking at less than six months.
Please continue the prayers. Specifically, pray for my family. My wife and I have been married for 20 years and we have a 7th grader and a 9th grader. I'm far more worried about them than I am me. I know I'm going to a better place and will be free of this terrible disease soon. No more pain, no more tears. And I made sure all long time ago that my family will want for nothing financially for a very long time. But this is going to be tough on them emotionally for a long time.
Let's choose to stay positive. OU football will be back in 23 days. The Sooners are loaded. The leadership and maturity that Hurts will bring is going to be an immeasurable asset. Riley is nothing short of a genius. Grinch literally cannot be worse than defensive coaches of the past, and any measurable improvement should keep us in contention to meet our goals. It's going to be a fun football season. I plan to enjoy every single minute of it and cheer like hell from Athens.
“When you are going through hell, keep on going. Never never never give up.”– Winston Churchill
