My mother Vicki was diagnosed at 59 years old. She was a devoted and hardworking mother of four children. Her first and only grandchild was born eight months before her diagnosis. She was full of life and looking forward to an early retirement to stay home and care for her grandson Ben while his parents worked.
Unknown to her family, she was showing signs of impairment for several months before her diagnosis on June 19, 2022. She eventually went to the hospital for what appeared to be symptoms of stroke. After a CT scan, the doctors determined she had a grade 4 glioblastoma the size of a golf ball on the right front side of her brain. It was terminal.
She had the tumor removed and left the hospital three weeks later. After about a month, her health and body started to deteriorate at an accelerated rate. Her tumor affected almost every part of her life. She could no longer read the novels that she enjoyed throughout her life. At first she could only walk with the help of a walker, and as time went by she could walk less and less until she was completely bedridden by March. Every day tasks like eating, bathing, dressing, using the bathroom, and writing became extremely difficult or impossible to do alone.
After surgery, mom did an 8-week course of radiation and started monthly oral chemo cycles. Chemo was difficult, and took a large toll on her already frail body. Knowing that her time with the ones she loved on this earth was limited, she made the decision to discontinue chemo after three months. She did however decide to continue less taxing treatments like infusions and the Optune device.
Throughout her illness, she tried her best to stay strong and continue to share her beautiful smile every chance she got. Doing the things she enjoyed, eating the food she loved, and spending every waking moment with her family and friends, helped distract from the devastating, unimaginable reality she lived in for 10 months.
Mom managed to make it long enough to spend one last birthday with each of her children. Almost immediately after her last children’s birthday (twins), she slipped into a coma for two days. She could not speak or move, but she let us know that she could hear the stories my sisters and I were telling, reminiscing about the past, and expressing over and over how much we loved and appreciated her.
She passed on April 6, 2023, surrounded by her children and family. Glioblastoma robbed my amazing mother of enjoying the best years of her life.
Our prayer is that this disease, like so many others, will someday have a breakthrough in treatment or even a cure, so that no family will ever have to travel down this horrible, horrible road one day.
