Overview

At some point in April of 2016, my brother Kurt noticed a slight "fluttering" in his field of vision.  He thought nothing of it and continued on with his day.  A couple weeks later, it happened again, and that time the visual event lingered and was accompanied by a spike in his blood pressure.  Because he was already being treated for hypertension, he checked himself into the local emergency room, and they conducted a CT scan.  The scan revealed the presence of PRES...along with an unrelated spot on his brain.  I drove him to St. Mary's in Duluth MN the following afternoon, and he was admitted for a couple days.  They did some more scans, got his blood pressure under control, and sent him home opting to take a "wait and see" approach to the spot on his brain that, due to his age and medical history, appeared to be of only moderate concern.  They guessed that the disturbances to his vision were caused by the way that PRES exerts pressure on the occipital lobe of the brain.  The plan was to do another scan in a couple weeks to see if the spot changed at all and then order a possible biopsy after that IF needed.

Kurt went home and tried to get on with his life until less than a week later when he experienced a blood pressure spike and serious visual distortions while shopping at a local hardware store.  Because small town life is not without its advantages, the staff went above and beyond and drove both Kurt and his vehicle to the local hospital.  While in the ER that second time, Kurt had a seizure and was rushed by ambulance to St. Mary's once again. 

During this second stay in the neuro-trauma ward, he underwent biopsy surgery, and once again they stabilized him and sent him home.  At his follow-up appointment, the neurologist told him that he did indeed have a tumor that was likely very serious, and last Friday May 27, Kurt and I met with his new oncologist in what was without question the most momentously saddening day of both of our lives.

Kurt has been diagnosed with grade 4 Glioblastoma - an aggressive from of brain cancer.  We aren't sure what the coming months and years hold in store, but Kurt expressed his great determination to fight this illness for all that he's worth.  Any and all positive thoughts, good vibes, kind words, and prayers that you can send his way will be much appreciated.  Please book mark and check back to this blog on a regular basis as I intend to update it frequently.