Todd, Sara, Colin, and Corey McMullen need our support. 11 years ago, Todd found out he has a brain tumor inside his brain stem (located in the center of his brain). Because of the location, the tumor is inoperable. He received 28 rounds of radiation in 2012 at Riverside. He had yearly brain MRI’s and the tumor showed no growth, until now. The tumor has grown 20% in size and is now protruding through the brain stem. Within the matter of 6 weeks, he went from being perfectly fine to needing help with everything. He is deaf out of his right ear, has double vision and wears an eye patch to see better, the right side of his head is numb, his right arm and leg are sluggish and he has zero balance. He is now using a wheelchair anytime he leaves their home and uses a walker at all times at home. On January 22nd, he had a biopsy done at the Cleveland Clinic. The biopsy was very risky and all of our prayers were answered that no additional damage was done while they were in there. The tumor is called a Diffuse Bilateral Glioma, or DIPG. On a grade of 1-4, the glioma is a grade 4, the most aggressive cancer. He went through 10 rounds (2 weeks) of aggressive radiation. He is also receiving chemo (Avastin) every 2 weeks. This isn’t the traditional chemo. It’s immunotherapy that is specific to DIPG and attacks those specific cells and cuts off the blood supply. Todd and Sara feel very confident in their team at the Cleveland Clinic. 1 month after radiation ended, Todd had an MRI done. Soooo many prayers were answered and the tumor has shrunk in half!! We ask for more prayers for the nerves to reconnect, and there isn’t permanent nerve damage. He was diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia soon after radiation. It’s the worst pain a human can endure. Todd experiences both typical and atypical TN. He experiences 10/10 pain, 24 hours a day. No meds touch the pain, and he’s on the strongest meds out there. He’s been connected with a neurologist at the Cleveland Clinic who gives him nerve blocks to help the pain. Nerve blocks bring 2 of the 3 branches of the trigeminal nerve down to a 5/10, while the last branch stays around 8 or 9. He continues to have zero balance, is dizzy and nauseous, and still no hearing out of the right ear. Let's rally around them and show them how loved they are! This page will be for information updates, providing meals, gift cards, and fulfilling other needs such as cutting the grass, etc. We will update it as their needs change. Thank you for your support!