20 and Living with a Brain Tumor

Macey just spent the last year recovering from a terrible battle with an Anaplastic Astrocytoma grade III brain tumor.  She was given 30 doses of radiation that took 6 weeks and stayed on Oral Chemo (Temodar) for the rest of the year.  Macey is so incredibly beautiful and strong and her spirit and positive attitude throughout this ordeal is nothing short of inspirational.  Macey, our daughter has become our hero.  At a pont in life where she should be going to college, dating, enjoying all that life has to offer, Macey has instead been confined to a chair and a walker due to the paralyzng effect the tumor had on her right side.  The tumor was located in her Motor strip causing nerve damage to the right side of her body.  Mostly noticeable on her right leg and foot.  Macey can walk with assistance but cannot walk far on her own without losing her balance.  She doesn't have enough strength in her leg to hold herself up for long.  We were working very hard with her trying to get her strength and abilities back so she could become mobile again.  Having a brain tumor is bad enough but when it steals your ability to be independent, it's like the evil icing on the cake.  Through all of the trials and tribulations though, Macey has endured and done so with mind-blowing success and a wonderful attitude. 

Fast forward one year.  Macey began complaining of dizziness.  We also noticed her eyes seeming a bit off when she would look at us.  She also seemed to have more struggle with getting words out and her speech seemed a little slurred.  We told her doctors who, because of a recent MRI showing no new issues, thought it to be something other than the tumor.  We too felt it couldn't be the tumor since everything recently looked good.  Well the symptoms continued to worsen.  After she started waking up and throwing up from having the spins so severely, we knew it was time to get her looked at closer.  Her doctors orederd another MRI.  The MRI contained our worst fears.  She had two new growths.  How they were noticed in the last scans or how they appeared so suddenly in the new ones baffled all of us.  It was apparent though of the two new growths, one was the culprit for her new symptoms.  It was located in her lower right cerebellum and was obviously causing all of her symptoms since this is the area of the brain that affect balance, speech, vision, and her even newer symptoms of numbness in the right half of her face.  It's been hard for her to chew, talk, swallow and the constant dizziness has her upset more often than not. 

So what now?  Now, we have to start a square one.  After the exhausting year long battle, the fatigue, losing her hair, the sickness and sleepless nights, the appetite altering chemo and constant battle to regulate her body, we now have to start at square one.  Macey has to again endure 30 more treatments of radiation, start on the chemo again, and battle her way back to health.  Cancerous brain tumors aren't good ever.  But I'm here to tell you this is one tough young lady and she will once again perservere and prove to her doctors and the nay-sayers that she can beat this thing and she will win.  She doesn't care that she's going to lose her hair that she just got back, once again.  She only cares that she's going to get better. 

The charity.  Because of Macey's condition, the support she needs from the entire family, the job and life-changing event necessary to take care of her, the costs and expenses are mounting quickly.  As a family we are doing everything we can to sustain but her sickness has caused a lot more stress than we ever could have imagined.  Macey needs the best care for this type of tumor.  We are taking her to the Huntsman Cancer hospital for her treatments.  She has to go 5 times a week and we have to drive almost 100 miles each day.  We are trying to stay somewhere closer to help in transportation costs.  All of her prescriptions, radiation, MRI's, Catscans, etc, have expensive deductibles.  As a family we are barely making it.  With this new round of tumors, I don't think we can hang on.  We need your help.  Anything at all would mean so much to Macey and our family.  We have never been the charitable type and have usually been on the opposite side.  We have sponsored families for sub for santa and made some more unfortunate families see their Christmas wishes come true.  When Macey was diagnosed her Dad was on his 3rd year in the Middle East supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.  As a family we have given to the world and never had our hand out.  It's so hard for us to do these charities but we need to look out for our daughter right now and our pride just went out the window months ago.  Macey needs your help. 

We love our daughter and know you would love her too.  She is the sweetest, most loving person any of us have ever known.  It's not fair that someone so young, so sweet, so beautiful has to go through such a terrible illness.  We hope and pray for her health and know with all of the love and support the world has to offer, she will be ok.  No parent, sibling or family should ever have to live through this. 

Some Pictures of Macey

Macey at Hospital Above and Below

Macey Today