The one about my meningioma.

I've just reached from from a church meeting and I finally got myself baptised by Pastor Andrew Choong. He's simply the nicest person any Evangelist would ever meet and I am eternally grateful for his dedication to the cause our Lord Father has paved for him.

Right now, sitting here in the computer room, I find myself deep in thought and equally excited about the prospects of being one with the Lord. Everyone has made it such an unforgetful experience for me; parents, my dearest girlfriend-soon-to-be-wife-if-I-ever-get-outta-this, brother and even strangers whom I've never gotten the chance to meet every Sunday at church. I am awe of His grace and certainly happy that I've now made the one big decision that will definitely change the course of my life for the better.

Down to the more worldly of issues, my meningioma. I've scanned over some MRI scans as well as the report issued from the hospital's Imaging Department. It is full of medical jargons and I'm not a man full of technical know-how but it's not really a good thing. My parents and close family friends are all united in prayer (God bless them!), in hopes of a speedy recovery, a miracle, a testimonial to all my peers that I can get through this without a scratch. It's just one of those things that you don't expect to happen and the reality just jolts you enough for you to realise that life is short and that you should treasure each day and thank the Lord and surrender all your ailments, fears, joy, sorrow to Him.

The kind doctor, who initially was my opthalmologist, told me that surgery would be beneficial for me although there would be significant risks involved in this major operation. Risks like I may forget things, slight changes in behaviour and etc. To be frank, I've never had such joy conversing with this doctor because he was willing to listen and to part with his knowledge on neurosurgery. He won't be the guy doing the surgery (another doctor specialises in that) but all the same, my parents thought that it would be a better idea to get a second opinion first @ General Hospital, Penang. The budget for operation alone in a private hospital is a staggering approximate of MYR 20,000 so you can understand that for a guy who doesn't own a medicard and relying solely on work medical benefits, it may be somewhat a hassle to cover the costs of the operation and post-operation treatments.

Here's where I get to the part on sharing pictures. It's safe for work, no worries!





MRI scan reveals this piece of tumor inside my head.
(My apologies for the quality...)


Here's the report written by the radiologist in regards to my MRI scan.


Where it's at...a look at the temporal lobe, where my tumor is located.

I've just emailed someone that I would call my confidant right now, David La Puma hailing all the way from sunny Florida New Jersey (sorry Dave!). David, thanks for sharing with us your experiences with your brain tumor. You bring much needed hope in my heart right now. You may cross-link to David's Flickr photoset (it's kinda gross though, kids) until he says I shouldn't.

For another great reference tool for patients suffering with brain tumor like yours truly, head over to Krista's blog. She's got the insights you probably need to gain more knowledge about what you're facing with. Jenelle Rose may be someone I'd like to thank one day too for her inspiring story. Meningioma is further elaborated here in this medical site too.