It’s Not a Tumor

Of course this started with Katey, as the oldest she was always the first. The kids all went to Vegas for their 21st birthday and there was some memorable moments and one that I’ll never forget. I remember Kelly’s well for Dan ‘the man’ Valentine and I had stopped at state line and I hit a $1200 winner on a Wheel of Fortune slot. My girls then took full advantage of their inebriated dad when we got to Vegas and I woke up with one five dollar bill in my pocket, thanks ladies.

But Brian David by far had a birthday none of us will ever forget. The night of his birthday was a bit wild and he, his sisters and mom were staying on the strip. Dan and I had partied with them but our people were in the older section of town. We’d been up most of the night and I didn’t do great out at the tables but I was on a heater the next morning when I got a call. Apparently Brian had fallen down at the Hard Rock and hit his head pretty hard.

My ex told me they were heading to the hospital so I grabbed Dans keys and made my way over. I was on a heater and Valentine had told me never to leave when you’re on a streak, but I had to. I got to the hospital to find no one there and questioned my judgment of leaving. I called my ex, Patty, and she assured me they were on their way,

When they got there Brian looked a bit dinged but Patty felt like precautions were necessary and I understood that. They rushed him into the ER as the rest of us sat in the waiting room reading old issues of magazines. After which seemed like an eternity, a doctor came out and summoned Patty and I over. Expecting he had a concussion our world was rocked when the doctor told us he had a ‘walnut’ sized mass in his brain. Wtf I thought and he repeated what he had said. I went into instant shock.

They wheeled him up to a room upstairs and after telling his three sisters they scurried back to the hotel to pack up, for we were leaving that day. I called Danny Boy and he took a cab over got his keys and packed us up as well.

He would be there overnight as as time rolled on Patty had called her sister Lynn for support and she went down to meet her. Brian was in twilight time and I sat bedside, reluctant to leave him. I had lost my dad five months previously, my mom had just left the hospital after the triple bypass from hell and I was mentally and emotionally as low as one could be.

I was yelling at the Lord, furious for what he was putting me through when, and I’m not making this up, when I felt a warm light from above. “Take me I pleaded with The powers to be, I’ve lived, save my son and take me!”.

Then I heard a question I hadn’t expected “what’s wrong?”. It was Brian who had grabbed my hand. “You have a brain tumor” I was barely able to speak and although he was in twilight there came an answer, “yes, I, have a brain tumor “ . I swear to this day he was out but he chose to speak through him. The calmness of the response put me on an even keel and I relaxed for the first time since the doctor had revealed his findings.

We drove home in utter shock, Patty calling Kaiser Permanente to set up an appointment. I’d never heard anything positive about Kaiser and was on the other side of freaked. They did get us in the next day and assigned us a Dr. Vanefsky to perform the operation. The three of us set in the room waiting for the doctor and when he finally came in he was huge. Talking to him, Brian and I found out he had played football at Stanford and we were relieved, Patty still had reservations however. This was March 7th and when they asked our son what day he preferred for surgery, both Patty and I were in disbelief. He was, as the doctor explained 21 and he chose April 1st for the surgery, of course he did, the Fools day.

As the days slowly crept by word got out to my very good friend and fellow Bonaventure AD Kathy Knutson and she rallied the troops. A scrap book was put together by the students at the school, cards signed by anyone who ever went there and calls flooded our phones as the family prepared for the surgery, each in our own way.

Through the Knutsen’s, Kathy and Chuck, Brian got a call from the Head Coach of the National Champion USC Trojans football team. Yep Pete Carroll himself gave Brian a pep talk, on the way to the hospital. Brian also received a call from the High School National Champs Head Coach Bruce Rollinson, a friend and the best motivational speaker I’ve ever heard,

We packed the waiting room that day, my sister even had my mom in tow. We waited for hours before Dr. Vanefsky came down and gave Patty and I the news, the tumor was benign but he couldn’t get it all, the ten percent left was too tight to chance. We praised him and I addressed the throng of family and friends in the waiting room.

Patty asked to see him and she went in first, he was still out but her report was dismal, I went next an the optimist in me saw my son, alive and breathing in his own, fucking straight the kid would be alright. She was in tears so I brought joyful tide to everyone and he was soon put in a private suite in ICU and the wait began. I did however have doubts, but I had to be the rock, not that Rock, the family stabilizing rock.

His sisters served as security and no president in American History had better protection, this was their baby brother and nothing was going to happen on their watch. I got ID’d three times, mostly by Kelly who took the lead.

Brian had just started dating a young woman he had known for years and Chelsea wanted/ needed to see him. Chelsea and Brian’s best bud Billy came to me and I used my sphere of influence to get them in, it wasn’t cheap.

About day five he was awake and talking but had a tube coming out of his head, the part of the skull the doctor removed had yet to be put back in and he asked me seriously “ dad, when’s my surgery?”

I laugh and cry when I write about this life changing event and know in my heart if we can get through this, today’s dark outlook is nothing. Love each other, shit happens and tell those you love just that.

Brian is alive and kicking, still gets pretty bad headaches which he medicated with pot, so be it. He’s still a bit forgetful but I will always be in awe of the medical staff that gave me my sin back.

Crack Egg Out