Hey friends

I have a bit of an update on the cancer story. It’s definitely a heavier update, but I want to preface all of this with the fact that my family and I remain resilient, optimistic about the future, and determined to continue to overcome whatever obstacles come up.

So I had brain surgery this past week. Wowzers, eh!

A couple weeks ago my vision started going weird and follow-up imaging found a tumour in my brain. Everything has been going so well with the immunotherapy everywhere else, so this news was a little hard to take. I’ve known my entire journey that brain metastasis are a possibility. Thankfully, there was only one, and it’s gone.

I met with the top neurologists in the country (my bias), and in no time we had an action plan. We ended up removing the tumour surgically. The care I received at UHN was top-notch. Every single person I interacted with during my hospital stay was phenomenal and I appreciate them so much. Rachel stayed with me the entire time I was admitted. She was an angel. Olivia was home, happy, and well taken care of by our amazing family.

As you can imagine, the brain surgery was intimidating, but I went in confident in the healthcare professionals looking after me. The surgery was an amazing success and the tumour was removed safely.

If you’re wondering why the tumour grew in the brain when everything else is shrinking, so am I. It’s probably due to some complexities with the blood brain barrier preventing immunotherapy from helping out up there. Though it’s impossible to say for sure. Sometimes treatment gets in, sometimes not. Immunotherapies are complicated, and I am not without hope that it will still provide some defence for the future.

Recovery has been great. It’s only been a few days and I am feeling well and happy to be home with my family. I’m taking it easy, as one should after brain surgery. But I am looking forward to getting past this and moving on.

Resilience and a positive mindset have helped get me this far, and I will stay the course. I appreciate all the loving support you always give me. Know that it really helps keep me going.

Love you all, and I am looking forward to many more memories with you.

Dave