Thank you for your donations!
All Clint's financial and medical needs have been met,
thanks to your generosity. We have removed the link for donations since
all the goals have been met.
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This is us visiting Reini's mom in San Diego, 2007.
Our wedding photo March 26, 2007.
This is a picture of Clint's scar after his second surgery.
Clint with our furry children and
his not-so-furry head!
April 20, 2011, Clint received an
ID badge from the
Clint and Sheriff Steve Mansfield.
Clint's ID badge from the Sheriff.
On the ferry to Canada.
Clint and I at the Butchart Gardens.
Clint riding a small pony because he can.
The romantic carriage ride ::::sigh::::
High tea - a MUST when visiting Victoria!
Our last evening at the Humboldt House.
Clint's trip home to NY: Clint with his neighbor Ross, one of the nicest men I've ever met, not to mention a huge John Wayne fan (way cool!)
Clint with Ross's wife Mary, a
sweet, wonderful,
Clint and his Dad (can you tell
they're related?)
Clint and his Mom
Back at home: Clint loves this picture.
This is a regular thing...
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| My husband,
Clint, is currently battling very aggressive brain cancer. He is
only 26 years old, prior military with four tours to Iraq, and is fighting
this very bravely. In November 2010, we discovered a massive brain tumor in his front left lobe, which was slightly larger than an orange. It was a stage 4 glioblastoma (also called an astrocytoma), a serious cause for concern. We discovered it in the nick of time, one more week would have made the difference between life and death for Clint. He underwent two major brain surgeries immediately after the discovery, both successful. He still has a piece of the tumor left between his hemispheres, which is being targeted by chemo and radiation, and doctors only anticipate him surviving for about a year even with this treatment. We are believing that God will provide a miraculous healing for Clint, and would appreciate everyone's prayers for this as well. During this time, Clint is unable to work or
drive, currently faces short term memory issues, and has localized
seizures down his right side. Thanks to your donations, Clint's needs of reliable
transportation and help with medical expenses not covered by insurance
have been met. |
LINKS:
Clint's visit from the Sheriff
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My husband Clint is 26 years old. We'll have been married 4 years this
coming March. He served 6 years in the military, did 4 tours to Iraq,
and had just finished training as a gate guard on Fort Lewis when we
found his tumor. Here's what happened:
On November 1st, 2010, I took Clint to urgent care to get help for a 4-month-long migraine, which was occurring consistently in the front of his head with little relief, and that I had been chalking up to stress until I noticed memory loss and personality changes. The doctors relieved the migraine temporarily and scheduled a CT scan for the next day. On November 2nd, Clint's CT scan revealed a tumor in the front left lobe of his brain. He was told to go to a health care center in Seattle on the 3rd for a consultation with the neurosurgical department. We received a call from Virginia Mason hospital in Seattle an hour later telling us to get up to their hospital immediately; the appointment on the 3rd had to be completely bypassed, and an emergency surgery was scheduled. Clint was checked into the hospital that evening. On November 3rd, Clint was taken in for an MRI, which told us a bit more about the growth. It was about the size of an orange (5 inches across!!!) and had pushed much of his brain into the right side of his head. It was affecting his speech center, the ability to censor his words and actions, memory, personality, and he should have been having seizures, but fortunately they had not occurred up to this point. Removal of the tumor would require two surgeries: the first one to remove the bulk of it, and the second to remove the outer edges of it. Clint was taken in for his first surgery early on the morning of November 4th. His surgery took about five hours, the surgeon removed a portion of the tumor to relieve major compression that was happening. He came out of the surgery without any complications, and was able to come home four days later. His second surgery took place on the morning of November 12th. This surgery was quite a bit more dangerous due to the fact that they were removing parts of the tumor that were pressing on parts of the brain controlling speech and motor functions. He had to be awake for a portion of this surgery so they could map out where those parts of his brain were; this was to help avoid hitting any of those parts during surgery. The risks of this surgery were brain hemorrhaging, loss of the ability to speak and communicate, and paralysis. The surgeon was fairly certain there would be some damage to his ability to communicate at the very least. The surgery took 4 hours, and he came out of the surgery without any of those complications occurring (thank the Lord!). They could not remove a portion of the tumor that was located between the hemispheres of the brain however. Unfortunately, he started having a few minor seizures afterwards, followed by some major seizures. They intubated him right away to protect his airway, but he remained heavily sedated and unconscious until the following day when they removed the breathing tube. He remained in the hospital for about a week because they were unable to manage his pain and nausea. He came home on the 18th, and we had his sutures removed on the 23rd. We learned from his primary care doctor that if we had gone one more week without finding the tumor and removing it, Clint would have been dead; it was pressing on his brain stem. We also learned at his follow up appointment on the 30th that there were actually two different types of tumors growing. The surgeon told us that one of them was a level 2 or 3 oligodendra, which he was not worried about, and the other was a level 4 glioblastoma (also called an astrocytoma), which was much more aggressive and a cause for concern. Clint will be undergoing both chemo (a pill called Temodar) and radiation to try and tackle this brain cancer. His treatment will start soon, we are just waiting for his incision to finish healing. I will post updates as they come. Thank you for your support, encouragement, and prayer during this time, it is greatly appreciated! Reini
1st Update Clint saw his oncologist today, he wanted to see how Clint was doing since his last appointment two weeks ago. The oncologist said Clint was looking very good, better than he expected, and definitely better than the last time he saw him. He said Clint appears to be healthy enough to get through all the treatment just fine. We are counting down to the 27th for the start of his chemo and radiation (REALLY glad he gets to enjoy Christmas first!)
2nd Update Hello on the last day of 2010! I'm happy to report that Clint's first week of chemo and radiation has gone well. We discovered that taking the chemo pill at night goes a lot smoother, as he can sleep through the roughest patch of nausea then. He's a little more tired than normal, but his spirits are high, and he's been doing really well. I'm making sure he's getting enough food and liquids (can't have him getting a smaller waist than me), and the dogs have been great company for him while he's at home. We had a good Christmas, and are going to bed early this New Year's Eve!
3rd Update Just a quick update on Clint. He has almost finished his second week of treatment, and is still doing very well. He saw his radiologist and oncologist today. They were both very pleased with how he's doing, thank God! Clint has maintained his weight (I think he even gained a couple pounds!), maintains a good level of energy, kidney and liver function, and his platelet count has only slightly decreased (not bad). The only complaint is that he has a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep. That may change the further into his radiation treatments we get. Overall, he's staying strong and fighting like the warrior he always has been.
4th Update Clint had a visit with his neurologist this morning. We have been decreasing one of his antiseizure medications over the last two weeks because it was having undesirable side effects; the side effects decreased as the dose decreased, which is good. He has had an increase of localized seizures on his right side, however (something to keep praying over), which is likely caused by the scars left in his brain from surgery, and the neurologist thinks he might have to deal with these for a long while (he will have an increase of his other antiseizure medication to deal with this). The good thing is that the seizures are not major ones. Clint is still in good spirits, doing his best to stay completely positive, still taking good care of himself, and eating healthy.
Quick update: Clint is in his fourth week of treatment, still amazing the doctors with the amount of energy he has maintained, and still doing great on his weight! He gets a little tired right after treatment, then perks back up in the middle of the day. We shaved his head this week, his hair began falling out over the surgery site, he looks much better now! He starts antibiotics tomorrow, and after he ends treatment in two weeks the doctors are letting him rest a few weeks before starting him on a double-dose round of chemo. Sounds like they will do an MRI in a couple of months to see how the rest of the tumor is responding.
6th Update Clint's really looking forward to ending his radiation, not too much longer now. He's had a bit of fatigue this week and has been napping during the day quite a bit, but still manages to get up and take the dogs for a short walk every day. He won't let me take a picture of his bald head (don't know why, he looks fine)...oh well. Maybe he'll feel better about it a little later. Other than that, not too much happening, just keeping him medicated and rested.
7th Update Clint finally let me take a picture of him with his head
shaved! See in right column above. He's still doing great so far,
but he has been very tired this week and sleeping more. His forehead
has a bunch of pink circles from the impression of his mask that he wears
into his radiation treatments, but those should fade after a while.
His eyes have also been pretty dry and his vision has been a bit
blurry. His positive attitude still amazes me every day and helps
keep me encouraged as well. Clint has been setting some goals to
accomplish this year, which I aim to help make happen. He wants
to: 1.) go to Victoria for our long-overdue honeymoon, 2.) go home
to New York to see his family and friends, 3.) take a road trip to
Portland, 4.) start driving and cooking again, 5.) go to Mt. Rainier, 6.)
go camping, and 7.) grow a mullet that would make Rodney (his former boss)
proud...and jealous. I love my husband! 8th Update Another update! Clint finished his chemo
and radiation on February 7th (woohoo!), he's VERY glad to be done with
it. He's fighting fatigue
from the radiation, but is doing great.
I think his only complaints right now are the pink circles on his
forehead (which are getting darker), his short term memory is still a bit
off, and his vision is very blurry (he can't really see anything clearly
whether near or far). The
vision SHOULD improve after a bit (hopefully).
It cracked me up, the radiologist asked Clint if he'd like to keep
his radiation mask as a memento, and he was like "NO WAY!
BURN IT! THROW IT
AWAY!" I kind of wanted
to keep it, but it was a bit creepy looking, so maybe it's better not to
have it in the house. So now
Clint is enjoying a few weeks break from all treatment (except his
antiseizure meds), then he'll start double dose chemo for five days
starting on March 7th. After
that, same thing...a few weeks break and five more days of chemo.
He should have his MRI right around then and we'll find out how
this sucker's responded to getting nuked. Of course we know that God
is our Healer, and we continue to trust that God is working a miracle in
Clint's body even now. Thank you for partnering with us in prayer
for this healing miracle.
9th
Update After a nice break for the last three
weeks, Clint started up another round of chemo yesterday. He's on a
double dose for five days. Yesterday's dose didn't sit well with
Clint; the poor guy was up puking all night, I think he got about 2 hours
of sleep this morning. :-( Hopefully he will get better
sleep tonight. He was able to keep a small amount of food down
today, but food isn't tasting right to him at this time....a temporary
effect of the radiation. His vision is still blurred, we're still
praying that it recovers soon so he can do some reading and other things
that require his vision. Much love
10th
Update Hi there! I'm way overdue for posting an update!!
Clint's second round of chemo started out rough the week of the 8th,
but thanks to all of your prayers, he handled it beautifully the rest of
that week. He's enjoyed a
couple weeks off of the chemo, and will start his last round on April 4th
(this one coming up is the maximum dose they can give him).
Clint will also have an MRI on April 11th to see how everything's
responded to treatment (please keep that date in your prayers, we want
good news!), and we'll have a follow-up appointment with his oncologist
for those results on the 13th. Clint's doing pretty good right now.
He's not as tired as he was a few weeks ago, and though food was
tasting different to him for a while I think that's starting to get better
too. He eats well, thankfully.
His vision is still blurry, he's still bald (I'm not sure when his
hair is supposed to grow back....), and his memory is still a bit spotty
(there have been some very humorous moments due to that).
He keeps a good sense of humor about it all, though. I also want to thank the people who have been
praying, those who stopped in to keep Clint company (he really looks
forward to visitors), stocked our cupboards and fridge with food, helped
with vehicle maintenance, and to some very good friends who have given me
some great advice through this whole situation.. On a side note, today's our four year anniversary (I
can't believe we've been married for four years already!), so we're having
pizza at my mom's to celebrate and plan on a relaxing evening.
:-) I will definitely post the MRI results and other
updates as they come! Thank you for prayers and support! Much love,
11th Update-MRI Results April 15, 2011
Thank you everyone for your prayers, they DO make a difference! Clint’s last round of chemo went like the other times, he was only sick the first day and handled the rest of the week wonderfully. He had his MRI on Monday, which revealed absolutely NO re-growth of the cancer or any growth of the remaining tumor! That is good news, it means the chemo is working. The only thing they could see on the images was a bit of inflammation from the radiation.
So now the plan of action is to continue a few more rounds of chemo (so, the first week of each month) and conduct another MRI two to three months from now. Clint continues to be strong and stays as active as he can.
He did drop ten pounds in the last couple of weeks because his appetite has declined a bit, but thanks to some really supportive coworkers, he will have some good substantial meals this next week to put some meat back on his bones, and I’ll be back to cooking after next week when my crazy work hours go back to a normal schedule (I’m really looking forward to that).
Thank you all for your continuing prayers and support!
Much love, Reini Clint's
Visit from the Sheriff
Clint had a visit from the Lewis County Sheriff, Steve Mansfield, on April 20th. Steve had a nice surprise for Clint, which I had to keep secret for quite a number of weeks (it wasn't easy!)
Much love, Reini
12th
Update
Just a quick update, Clint is doing very well. Last month, his chemo went great, he didn't even get sick once! This last round was a little rough, but he managed to push through it strong. His oncologist is giving him two more rounds before he's finished, then they'll monitor his progress before doing anything further.
On a happy note, Clint caught more fish this year than he ever has! Very exciting for him, and they were decent sizes too! Clint's also enjoying spending time in our veggie garden and catching up on good reading. He's managed to take the dogs for walks almost every day, and is working on slowly building his strength.
I want to once again thank you all for your generous donations, they have helped greatly. You have covered his medical bills and chemo treatments, and we want to say THANK YOU for being a part of helping him fight and get well. Thank you for all of your prayers and support, we could not get through this without them, and we feel so blessed to have so many people care. We pray God's tremendous blessings on each and every one of you, as you have been a big blessing to us.
I will continue to post updates on Clint's progress and all the events surrounding him. We'll also post pictures of our upcoming trip to Victoria BC. Clint is very excited to have a break from everything and just relax!
Much love and many thanks, Reini
July 18, 2011
Clint
and I took our honeymoon in Victoria from July 4 through the 7th, and
what a nice break it was! It was a very nice trip, and a really
great time. We met the nicest Indian family on the ferry, they had
fun teasing Clint about wearing shorts and sandals and his onion
allergy, and it was fun passing the time with them. I got us lost
as soon as we drove off the ferry...good thing Clint is a great
navigator, he redirected me and we finally found our bed & breakfast
place at the Humboldt House (a place I HIGHLY recommend if anyone wants
to stay in Victoria). We took a nice walk around when we arrived,
getting ourselves oriented in the city, and stopped for lunch at a
charming restaurant, where we met a lovely couple from Cornwall, England
- another memorable experience. We received wonderful massages in
our room when we returned to the B&B. One of the selling
points for us at the Humboldt House was the wonderful hand-made truffles
offered by David, the most hospitable host who runs the place.
WOW. I cannot say enough about his truffles....we downed a box of
12 in 2 days!
On day 3, a lovely horse and carriage picked us up at our place (Kate the driver, and Sergeant the horse), and they took us for the most memorable ride through the park for an hour, and dropped us off at the Empress Hotel for High Tea. Yes...Clint put up with an hour of tea party time. (He's such a good sport!) Our host Ray was wonderful, and the chef even made some onion-free tea sandwiches just for Clint. We took the evening to walk for hours, and took a nice stroll on the beach as the sun went down, which was Clint's favorite part.
Day 4 we came home to some very happy kitties and some very spoiled pups. It was a really great and much-needed vacation, and I want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who helped send us!
Much love, Reini
13th
Update
So
we are about to undergo Clint's LAST ROUND of chemo during the last week
of July! Clint is very happy about this, he is ready to be
done. He's been such a good sport and very strong throughout this
whole process. This is definitely something to celebrate. He
is doing great, and he will have an MRI done on August 1st. I will
post an update with the results as soon as we receive them. We are
anticipating a good report! God has been so faithful through
everything, and I know He will be faithful through this too.
Talk to you all again very soon! Much love, Reini
August 15, 2011
Hi everyone! Clint
had his MRI on August 1st, and we received his results on the 11th.
I am most happy to announce that his MRI came back clean!
The remaining tumor is not progressing at all, and where there
were areas of inflammation before (they either thought due to radiation
or possibly new tumor growth)...they are no longer showing up!
The oncologist was very happy to deliver good news, and we were
definitely excited to receive it. Clint
will continue to have MRI's every 3 months to monitor his progress, and
he'll meet with his oncologist a little more often than that.
Clint is regaining strength every day, his attitude remains
inspiring, and he's going home to NY for a week to see his family in
October. You can imagine my relief right now, and I really
have to say that God has been so faithful through this whole situation.
He has been my Strength. He
has given us both peace in the storm.
I can't imagine going through any of this without relying on or
having a relationship with Christ.
We also could not have come through this without the tremendous
support of family and friends. I just want to say THANK YOU to all of you.
We both really appreciate your encouragement and support. I will continue posting updates as they come!
Lots of exciting stuff to come. Much love
15th
Update Hi everyone! Sorry there haven't been any posts recently, not too much happening lately. Clint had an MRI this last Friday, we'll find out the results tomorrow, so expect another update SOON. Clint is doing great! He went home to New York for a nice visit with his family in October. He's had a really great time hiking with his friend Mike, fishing for salmon (he did catch some!), riding in the sidecar of a neighbor's motorcycle (I will post that picture soon, it is priceless), and is currently painting his man cave (our garage) a nice burnt pumpkin orange color. It actually doesn't look bad at all. That's all I've got for now! Will post again in another day or two. Much
love
16th
Update - MRI Results Ok,
so it's been more than a day or two...but what can I say?
Thanksgiving week is busy! So, Clint's MRI results...drum roll
please...best looking MRI yet, AND his remaining tumor has been
shrinking! Amazing! The doctor was even pleasantly
surprised; no one was certain how his tumor was going to respond, and
here we are, months after treatment, and we are seeing God do some
amazing things. Needless to say, we are thrilled.
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