When my then 25 year old daughter, Megan, moved to Georgia with her then boyfriend to start their new life together, little did we know how quickly plans can change.
Shortly after 1 year in Georgia, she experienced headaches every day for 2 weeks, then started to vomit. Her boyfriend, a paramedic, knew something was wrong & took her to the ER. A day later, we got the diagnosis that there was a tumor the size of a lemon on the front left side of her head.
She had an awake craniotomy, chemo and proton therapy. It was Glioblastoma. It started spreading across the midline 8 months later. She was on a couple of medications and ended up having a reaction that turned into a staph infection. All medications were stopped so her body could try and fight the infection. But, her body wasn’t able to fight anymore. She passed away at 28 years old, only surviving for 15 months. She was so very brave and never complained. There needs to be continued research and clinical trials so we can at least prolong the life expectancy of those with a deadly brain tumor.
It changed EVERYTHING. Our whole family was devasted. I am still struggling knowing that there hasn’t been any more treatments in years. I think about her every single day. I also fear that my other 3 children could possibly get this too. Their grandmother and aunt both had Glioblastoma so I do think it can run in families.
We really didn’t find a community at the time. But I do follow the groups and organizations to keep informed.
There needs to be continued research and clinical trials. We need to keep fighting for a cure! I go gray for my 28 year old daughter, Megan.
How it can change everything.
