Our youngest brother, Jared, was diagnosed with a brain tumor this week. 

Jared has always been a rambunctious but sweet jokester, but in the past few months he developed headaches and intermittent dizzy spells. He never felt anything specific and it was easy to brush off what he was feeling because it's never anything serious, especially when every complaint is punctuated by a cheeky self-deprecating joke. Over the holidays, his headaches intensified, but having lost his job in Austin in November, and consequently his health coverage, he put off getting checked out by a doctor until he could get a new job and back on a health plan. As the headaches became more crushing each week, it finally culminated late Friday evening on February 28th. He woke up and something was off, he suddenly felt like he couldn't use his hands, his right leg felt numb, and the words were hard to get out. His head felt like it was going to split. Being the baby of the family meant he could always call a big sister when he needed help, so that's what he did. And finally, after heeding advice to go to the hospital immediately to get checked out, within a few hours CT imaging and an MRI the next morning revealed a large brain tumor. Jared has been suffering mostly in silence for months as the tumor has put extordinary pressure on his brain from within his skull, causing what the neurosurgeon described as "chronic herniation for at least a month" and the radiologist identified a 1.5 cm shift of his brain from the midline of his skull.

Jared has been under the excellent care of the neurosurgical team and ICU at St David's Medical Center in Austin Texas since he was admitted on the 28th. As can only be expected, his medical bills will be exorbitant, far beyond expectation any 28-year-old could ever possibly dream of having to pay. But he's alive, and as he cheekily describes it, feeling "Like I just had brain surgery." 

This is only the beginning of the road for Jared. Not only will he have medical bills in Texas from his surgery to remove part of the tumor, his care in the icu as he recovers, and the tests to diagnose the exact type of tumor, but he will need to move back home to Connecticut so he can pursue further treatments to hopefully eradicate whatever it is that has been slowly growing in his brain. 

The support we are asking for will cover his moving expenses, including shipping his car home, converting a first floor room in our parents home into a room for him to avoid the stairs, and if possible, take some of the burden off of him with contributing to whatever medical expenses we can cover. Anything is appreciated, and the support and love we have received already has been overwhelming. 

Thank you indefinitely, 

The Krause Family