Read Time: 3 minutes
Takeaways:
- Medulloblastoma is a rare, aggressive brain cancer that requires highly individualized treatment plans.
- Radiation therapy can be effective in shrinking brain tumors.
Impact: Huntsman Cancer Institute helps patients reclaim their lives through personalized treatment plans for rare cancers.
David Reyes had always been full of life鈥攁ctive, loving, and driven by purpose. But it was the small, almost imperceptible changes that first signaled something was wrong. One day, he realized writing with his right hand had become harder. He brushed it off, assuming it was just a nerve issue.
But then the headaches came.
At first, he relied on over-the-counter painkillers, trying to manage the increasing discomfort. When those stopped working, David turned to energy drinks, pounding back Red Bulls like water, searching for some form of relief. Still, the pain pressed on.
An Unimaginable Brain Cancer Diagnosis
On the morning of a long-awaited specialist appointment, David had already consumed three Red Bulls by 10 a.m. The pain had reached an unbearable level. He made a split-second decision to skip the appointment and go straight to the hospital. Something deep down told him he couldn鈥檛 wait any longer.
鈥淲hen I got to the emergency room,鈥 David recalls, 鈥淚 was in so much pain that when the nurse asked me to rate it from 1 to 10, I said 20. I couldn鈥檛 even open my eyes or walk.鈥
A CT scan and MRI revealed the unimaginable: a lime-sized tumor pressing into his cerebellum鈥攖he part of the brain responsible for balance and coordination. David underwent emergency surgery, where doctors were able to remove about 35% of the tumor. A portion of the tumor was sent to the lab for a biopsy.
Then came the news no one ever wants to hear: It was medulloblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a cancer you usually see in kids,鈥 David says. 鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 a set roadmap for treating it in adults.鈥
鈥淚鈥檓 thankful for this heavenly miracle, but so is my family, that I went to Huntsman Cancer Institute. They saved my life.鈥
David Reyes
Doctors at Huntsman Cancer Institute worked with David to tailor a treatment plan specific to his needs. In David鈥檚 case, they chose an aggressive path: intense radiation therapy followed by plans for chemotherapy.
Radiation treatments, which are designed to shrink tumors and kill cancer cells, were grueling, David recalls. Through it all, he clung to what mattered most: his faith, his loving wife, his children, the unwavering support of his family and friends, and even the care of his coworkers.
鈥淐ancer doesn鈥檛 just affect your body,鈥 David reflects. 鈥淚t messes with your emotional intelligence. I鈥檒l never be able to do some physical activities, but I鈥檓 alive, and I get to see my loved ones every day.鈥
A Miraculous MRI
Following radiation, as David prepared for chemotherapy, his doctors delivered astonishing news: The MRI showed no trace of the tumor.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have to do chemo. The cancer was gone,鈥 David says with quiet awe. 鈥淚t was a miracle.鈥
David says he is grateful for Huntsman Cancer Institute鈥檚 Radiation Department and the expert, compassionate care he received.
"The radiation eliminated everything, and I didn鈥檛 have to do chemotherapy," he says. "I鈥檓 thankful for this heavenly miracle, but so is my family, that I went to Huntsman Cancer Institute. They saved my life.鈥
Now, a little under 10 years after his diagnosis with brain cancer, David is in remission and optimistic for the future.
鈥淚 meet each day with hope, faith, gratitude, and strength,鈥 David says. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 say I鈥檓 100%, but I鈥檓 alive. I get to enjoy my family every day and have opportunities to help others who are in a similar situation I was, and that鈥檚 what matters.鈥