Short Summary
Nate was diagnosed with a brain tumor several weeks before he was to start his senior year in high school. It was a very rare kind of brain tumor (anaplastic ependymoma) located in the fourth ventricle and into his brain stem. He had surgery to remove this egg-sized tumor on August 2, 2013. The surgeon was able to get about 95% of the tumor. The remaining 5% is on the brain stem. You can see all the details here:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/natesgrosso
When Nate got out of the hospital on August 27, 2013 he weighed 97 lbs (he is 6'1" tall). His tongue, vocal chords and parts of his hands had varying degrees of paralysis due to damage done to two of his cranial nerves. He also had double-vision and had to keep a patch over one eye and he had to be fed through a feeding tube in his stomach. In addition to going after the cancer, Nate continues to get therapy for the complications resulting from the surgery.
Due to the very poor prognosis Nate has with going the radiation and chemotherapy route we had to find another course of treatment. We are so very blessed to have found it.
The treatments Nate receives are very advanced and as you can see by the video, Nate's body is responding very well to it. The cancer is continuously getting weaker. Our doctors have also found the underlying encephalitis virus which caused the cancer in the first place and we are making that virus weaker and weaker with each treatment.
What We Need
We have health insurance but the only cancer treatment options covered by insurance is surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Nate had surgery already but radiation and chemotherapy are not options for him. So, all of our treatments for Nate since he left the hospital are paid out of pocket. The ongoing maintenance is $3K/month and things are moving in the right direction with these treatments but we could be fighting this cancer a lot more aggressively if we are able to treat Nate at home and get him IV Nutritional Therapy. Here is how we will spend the money raised with this campaign:
- First $30,000 - Bio-electrical medical equipment so Nate can get daily treatments for the ependymoma, the encephalitis virus, as well as his damaged cranial nerves.
- Next $6,000 - Three IV Nutritional Therapy sessions (each 2-day session costs $2K)
- Next $48,000 - to be applied towards on-going herbal, enzyme, weekly acupuncture and bi-weekly advanced energy treatments. Nate's treatments are expected to be needed until July 2015 at a rate of $3K/month.
The Impact
Cancer is dangerous. The treatment course we've chosen has helped build Nate's immune system to the point where it is able to slowly beat the cancer. We know that if we can take these treatments to the next level, Nate will get better more quickly and be able to get back to living the life of a normal 18-year old.
With all Nate has gone through, he continues to work towards graduating with his class in June. He's an amazing kid and deserves the best treatment we can all afford to give him. This summer he will start college at a nearby community college- he can't leave home to attend a school (as much as he'd like to) because of his strict dietary, supplement and treatment program. Once he is able he wants to get into a Nutritional Doctorate program.Other Ways You Can Help
If you can't contribute, we believe a big part of what we've been able to do has come from prayer, so please pray for Nate's health.
