My Dad’s Story

My Dad’s Story

Jessica

When I was 11 years old I remember waking up one night to my mom yelling from my parent’s bedroom. I ran in there to find my dad having a horrendous grand-mal seizure that seemed to last forever. Before I knew it our driveway was filled with flashing lights from the ambulance. I was scared. I had no idea what was happening. At that time I didn’t think anything could be more scarier but then I was told my dad had a brain tumor and would have to have surgery. This was 19 years ago. Some parts are hard to remember from that far back but that night will stick with me forever. I remember staying with family and friends while my dad was in the hospital. I remember finally going to visit him and being scared to see the incision on his head. With time though things eventually fell back into place. Dad was doing great! We would play word games to help with his speech and memory. After a full recovery and being able to return to work, everything seemed back to “normal” again. Then in 2000 my dad had a freak accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury. Long story short he slipped on wet pavement and went head first into the bumper of his truck, shattering his skull around his old brain tumor site. Arteries were damaged and it ended up causing a stroke-like affect. He was in the hospital 3 months. With therapy he was able to make almost a full recovery but not enough to work again. Then this summer, July, we got the unfortunate news his brain tumor was starting to grow back. Being an adult now and a nurse myself, it did not ease that scared feeling. I felt 11 years old all over again. August 8th he underwent a successful surgery and just finished his first round of chemo last week. We are very hopeful and he is doing absolutely amazing. He is truly an inspiration. He is a fighter and I am beyond proud of him. I’m also proud to be participating in the Nashville 5K next month for him and so many others like him. With hope we can find a cure! Never give up!

Opinions expressed within this story belong solely to the author and do not reflect the views or opinions of the National Brain Tumor Society.