My brain cancer journey began in 2010 when I started feeling dull headaches whenever I sang, bent over, coughed, or sneezed. I was diagnosed with a Grade III Anaplastic Astrocytoma in my right temporal lobe. I had surgery, and my doctors were able to remove the entire tumor. However, because of the malignant pathology, I had to complete more treatments. I spent the summer of 2010 getting radiation and chemotherapy treatments at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics.

I spent the next eight years of my life going on many adventures with my wife Alicia and our wiener dog, Kujo. Along with other cancer survivors, I actually had the opportunity to climb mountains as I worked to elevate the lives of those touched by cancer with an organization called Above + Beyond Cancer. Eventually I found myself overwhelmed by the cancer world and needed to take a step back. I didn’t want my life to be defined by cancer. I believed with all my heart that cancer was something I would never have to deal with in the future. So I moved on and my life became normal again.

In January of 2019 during a routine MRI scan, I found out that the cancer was growing again in my brain.