Life changed for our family in May of 2013 with news no one ever expects to hear. Since then, there’s been countless doctor visits and moments of both hope and hardship, faith, and fear. To help everyone stay informed, I put together this timeline of key events to catch everyone up to speed on where he’s at today and how we’re moving forward. Whether you’ve been following since the beginning or are just now learning about Troy’s story, our goal is to get you up to date and stay connected.
2013
I can’t remember the exact day, but it was after Memorial Day weekend in 2013. We were living in West Virginia at the time and Troy was working 15-18 hours a day. A lot of his initial symptoms were chalked up to him working too hard; fatigue, vision changes, mood swings, and headaches.
Troy came home early saying he didn’t feel right and was really tired. We had dinner and he went to bed before the rest of us.
At 1 am I was awakened to him having a violent grand mal seizure.
Fast forward and…
He was life-flighted to Roanoke.
All the tests revealed he had a type of brain cancer called oligodendroglioma. Glioma for short.
He had a 9-hour surgery to remove it.
No chemo or radiation was necessary.
He developed a blood clot that went undiscovered for three months.
We saw a vein specialist and Troy was on blood thinners for a couple of years afterwards where the blood clot created its own bypass. Praise the Lord because it was inoperable.
Troy continued to do routine MRI’s for 4 years. At his last MRI, we were given the impression that he was done with treatment. We were not given any information to believe his tumor would return.
We moved a few more times and have settled in Idaho.
2024
December 13th was a normal Friday. Troy came home from work, we had a lovely Shabbat evening with a delicious dinner, looking through his old baseball cards and watching Elf. Troy and I decided to go to bed around 10:30.
Once again, I was woken up by a violent seizure.
The fire department showed up first, then the Medics. Troy was starting to come out of it when they took him to the ER but he was very nauseous. I met him there about 20 minutes later. He was awake but not really there.
An MRI was ordered and just as they were getting him ready, he seized again. This time he wasn’t coming out of it. Anything after five minutes is considered life-threatening so it was decided that they would intubate him so he wouldn’t aspirate and they would monitor his brain activity for 12 hours with an EEG. He was kept in the ICU for over 24 hours until they removed all the tubes and he was awake, then moved him to another part of the hospital.
They took an MRI while he was under and it confirmed that he had a reoccurrence. This meant that his cancer grew back.
Troy was able to pass all of the tests necessary to go home on Monday and was given anti-seizure meds.
He has no recollection of when he went to work that morning until around the 20th. Which means he doesn’t remember working that day, driving home, our evening together, or his time in the hospital.
Appointments were made to meet with a neurosurgeon for surgery, a neurologist to manage his medication, and oncology to determine if, after pathology, he would need chemo or radiation.
We had a short break until…
We learned at a chiropractor that he fractured his back from his seizure.
Surgery was not emergent but should be done soon.
Surgery was scheduled for February 24th with a 5 am check-in, surgery starting at 8 am and lasting 4 hours, 50 minutes with 2 hours in recovery. Surprisingly, surgery was only 2.5 hours with two hours in recovery. Recovery took so long because he was dealing with so much nausea. Quite the contrast from his first surgery!
The next morning, Troy was awake and looking phenomenal. He was still queasy but the doctors said if he could pass all of his tests (OT, PT, SP) he could go home, which we did.
The first day or two at home he did great! In fact, he wanted to get back to work the following week and asked for a doctor’s note.
Little did we know…
He would be in excruciating pain and develop more nausea.
Inflammation was most likely causing him to feel sick so he was prescribed a steroid.
This steroid had a very rare side of hiccups. One that he endured for SIX HOURS STRAIGHT! He would take a pain med to fall asleep, then a steroid, then hiccups, and so on for two days.
He also experiences light and noise sensitivity.
He saw a speech therapist which seemed odd because if you know him, he has no problem talking. This appointment was more for cognitive function and how he’s able to retain information for having a traumatic brain injury. He passed all his tests but was asked to come back once more, just to make sure he was ready to work and knew when to take brain breaks.
His back is still broken.
Pathology came back and confirmed that he has a glioma but it was now a grade 3. Meaning that while it’s a slow-growing tumor, it developed more aggressively and radiation and chemo are the standard care. Grades are not the same as stages.
Gut punch.
March 2025
In one week we had four doctor appointments.
Neurosurgery: his wound was healing as it should and he would need radiation and chemo. Troy was given to ok to go back to work (remotely from home) for 4 weeks, then we’ll re-evaluate at that time.
Primary Care: labs were taken, and all came back normal. X-rays were done to see what the issue is with his back and his T5 and T7 are compressed fractures. An MRI is scheduled with a different department of neurosurgery to determine how to treat it. He was also referred to an ENT to get to the root of his audio sensitivities. He had this with his first surgery but it’s lingering a little longer. Chiropractor appointments are on hold.
Radiation Oncologist: they went over the process of how radiation works, how often he would go, and the side effects. The NP explained that his surgery swept the floor to remove the tumor and radiation would mop it to remove any residual cells.
Medical Oncologist: So if the floor was swept and mopped, chemo would be like a bug bomb going off? Both oncologists gave us all the statistics, but the truth of the matter is there is no cure, it can return, and there are risks no matter what.
There was so much to process, that we wouldn’t be making any decision right then and there until we prayed, sought counsel, and researched for ourselves.
Which we have.
Troy was fitted for a radiation mask and will begin radiation in a week or so. The mask will help pinpoint exactly where the radiation needs to go. During his surgery, his surgeon also fitted him with markers to make it even more exact. He will go Monday through Friday for six weeks. Side effects include fatigue, hair loss, some nausea, and it may look like a sunburn toward the end of treatment.
From the onset of his diagnosis this year, Troy has been telling people the story in Matthew 14 where Peter is in the boat and Jesus asks him to step out. Peter obeys, but for a fleeting moment forgets and begins to sink. When Jesus sees Peter’s fear, Jesus immediately catches him as he sinks. What stands out for Troy is that Jesus is not only within arms reach of him but that Jesus is ABOVE the waves. He is over the storm.
There have been enough tears from both of us to fill an ocean. We’re scared too. Thankfully, in our time of distress, we know who to reach out to. He is our lifeline, our strength in the storm.
He’s in control of the waves and the wind.
The only control we have is how we react to it.
We’ve created this blog as a way to document our journey and share updates along the way. We hope this space helps keep everyone informed and connected. Your support means so much to us, and we’re grateful to have you walking alongside us.
Here is our Linktree link with more information on how to help.
All our love,
Troy, Stephanie & Family
