2010 Inspirational Stories

Marisa Bairros

I was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor in 2004 but after going for an MRI I learned that the tumor had caused hydrocephalus and would immediately have to undergo surgery.  Two years and three surgeries later, the shunts that had been installed had all failed when I was hit with another blow.

 

A regular MRI check up after my third surgery showed significant tumor growth and I was told I would need to undergo six weeks of radiation therapy along with at least one year of chemotherapy. I could not have anymore surgeries because it was too risky for my brain stem tumor.

 

When my now-husband and I met with my radio-oncologist and I heard that I could live for 'a significant amount of years' with treatment I felt I had just been giving a life sentence. After several years of ongoing surgeries and treatments, having a brain tumor had caught up with me, literally giving an expiration date to my life. Only a couple months before I had become engaged and couldn’t accept the fact that my marriage would be short lived. I did my best to focus on planning the wedding while simultaneously going through radiation and chemotherapy.

 

With the support of my loving husband and family, I fought through the treatments and made it to my wedding. Now, two years later, my tumor has decreased in size significantly. I have been feeling really well these days and believe that I was given a miracle by God as I was not only given the strength to fight my battle but it brought my family and I much closer. I give thanks every day to the air that I breathe and the time I spend with my loved ones. My wish is for no one to have to endure the sickness, panic and type of sadness this diagnoses had brought upon me yet I honestly cannot imagine life without having gone through this all.

 

Last year I found out about “It’s Just Benign” (http://itsjustbenign.org/), an organization providing support and information to those with Benign brain tumors. Becoming a part of the network and speaking with its members has offered me a tremendous amount of support. It has been through them that I heard of The Have A Chance Walk to Fight Brain Tumors.

 

This year will be the first year that my family and I participate in the Walk; I’ve started my own team with a few people who have been by my side and have all been very kind to donate as well and I plan to keep participating in these events. If nothing else, I believe that The Have A Chance Walk to Fight Brain Tumors is my chance, along with my family and husband, to at least try to help improve other people's chances at living a full life.

For The Love Of Nick

Nick DeGirolamo was diagnosed with a Pilocytic Astrocytoma in the hypothalamus in January 2005. Determined to fight and support others within the brain tumor community, Nick joined CNJBTSG (Central New Jersey Brain Tumor Support Group) in addition to being a Have A Chance participant in 2008 with his mother Cindy Eisenstein.

“My nephew was so dedicated and such a hard worker. He loved his job at Home Depot as much as they loved him. Many days he went to work even though he was sick from treatments or meds,” says Nick’s aunt, Kim Sparrow, an active member of the Have A Chance community.

After Nick introduced the Have A Chance Walk to Kim, she decided to form the team “For the Love of Nick” in 2009 with the help of family and friends, including Robin Costenbader and Linda Sheridan. Kim led her team through the summer and fall to raise more than $4,100. Their Walk was intended to be in Nick’s honor but sadly became in his memory. He lost his battle on October 10, 2009, just one week before the Walk.

“We will always remember his humor and the little things he enjoyed like playing cards, watching the Yankees and simply eating Hooters hot wings. But mainly what he deserves recognition for was his strong love of his family and his friends,” Kim says. “It was while I was walking and watching the faces of all the survivors and families who lost a loved one…plus remembering the strength, love and sorrows my sister had endured and still does that I became determined to do SOMETHING…ANYTHING I can to help.”

Since the Have A Chance Walk in October 2009, Kim has become very active in her community in Pennsylvania hoping to spread awareness, grow her team and continue fundraising for this year’s Have A Chance Walk. She recently organized her first Walk a Thon at her daughter’s school. Leading up to her Walk she organized a Bake Sale and made Awareness Angels to sell. Her fundraising mind is always working, even when she recently saw an infomercial for an ice machine and “Brain Freeze for Brain Tumors” popped into her head. She’s hoping to get that snow cone fundraiser off the ground soon, along with a Blue Mountain Candle Sale and Tupperware Bingo. All proceeds from her upcoming projects will benefit the Have A Chance Walk.

Kim hopes to bring a huge Pennsylvania contingent to this year’s Have A Chance Walk to honor Nick’s memory and to fight for the lives of others battling brain tumors every day. The Have A Chance community thanks her for her unwavering dedication to our fight.

“He never showed his fears, or let you hear his cries.
He never showed the tears, that fell down from his eyes.
He never looked for pity, or sympathy from you.
That's why He will always be, THE strongest MAN...WE ever knew.”

In loving memory of Nick DeGirolamo