Another year has passed. I had surgery to removed a golf ball sized meningioma brain tumor at the cerebello-pontine angle on October 25, 2005. This was the day EVERYTHING CHANGED and I was reborn. For the first time in my life I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next and experienced true fear! It made me re-evaluate things. I remember calling the people closest to me before the surgery because I wasn’t sure if I was calling to say goodbye…
Surgery was extremely risky, but I needed that tumor thing (AKA “Amani Tumor” he was on my fantasy football team) out of my head! I survived the very risky 14 hour brain surgery, BUT I was left with some pretty severe physical impairments. I was reborn with a new attitude and a new appreciation for everything, I’m now officially 14… a “high school freshman”!
So much has happened since I was reborn. I’ve published 2 books, spoken at many interesting venues, traveled the world to talk about my experiences as a young physical therapist turned rehab patient with physical impairments, started a unique nonprofit, and met so many inspirational individuals around the world! While all of this sounds cool and exciting, I’ve also lost the majority of the hobbies I used to enjoy, lost contact with many of the friends that I used to have, lost my dream job shortly after getting it, lost my purpose/direction in life. My background in physical therapy has helped me navigate the scientific and medical aspects of my recovery, but I was not prepared for psychosocial ramifications of becoming a brain tumor survivor with severe physical impairments. I’m still adapting and learning new things in the process. Basically, I had to start EVERYTHING over from scratch, thus the “Rebirthâ€. My life is now dedicated to helping others: find their new path/direction after their treatments AND find a setting where they feel like they fit in.
These are some of the reasons mAss Kickers Foundation was created! On October 29, I’m traveling to Ottawa Canada for the first time with 3 other survivors to share our stories, hangout with survivors from Ottawa, and experience a new environment with fellow post treatment thrivers. Please contribute what you can to help other survivors discover something new!
Help me unite the world against all forms of tumors/cancer by donating what you can here:
Let me preface this post by saying that song still makes me laugh! I’m NOT a LFO fan. It seems like many of the popular entertainment outlets are deep into throwbacks to the 80s. You have TV shows like the Goldbergs, Wet Hot American Summer, and Stranger Things. Then there are movie reboots like GI Joe, Transformers, Pet Cemetery, Nightmare on Elm Street, and The Terminator. It is only natural to reminisce about good times, but I do not understand the strategy in rebooting a classic. Is it to create a younger fan base? Quick and easy “cash cowâ€. Why ruin a good thing? Nostalgia? Lack of creativity?
I find it funny because I vividly remember what it was like in the 80s. It was elementary school and junior high school for me. Those years were important in the formation of my identity. Sports, science fiction, movies, video games, and reading were the majority of my interests. That probably made me a strange kid. I think everyone feels awkward in that life stage. I was the same age as Kevin Arnold from the Wonder Years, but it was set in the 1960s. I remember thinking that me and Kevin Arnold were very similar. Of course he was much cooler than I was and actually talked to girls… Anyways, I religiously watched that show every week. Even though the show took place long before I was born, it hit a nerve with a lot of people because everyone can relate to that awkward transition from childhood innocence to young adulthood.
Transition periods seem to make great stories. Everyone can relate to the awkwardness of experiencing something new. I have more stuff in the works, so stay tuned.
