On February 13^th 2007 my husband was watching the UNC vs. Clemson game on TV. They went into double overtime and Carolina lost! He was not happy about this because he is a MAJOR UNC fan. So I knew he wasn’t going to have a good night, however I had no idea how bad it would be.  About midnight I woke up to Scott making a terrible moaning sound and the bed shaking.  I ran to turn on the light and saw my husband, my love, my soul mate, having a grand mal seizure.  For anyone who hasn’t experienced or seen one, it is a terrible sight.  Scott’s body was seizing and he would not respond to me at all.  I grabbed the phone, called 911 and told them to get here fast.  I was scared beyond scared. I had NO idea what was going on. 

We arrived at Durham Regional Hospital by ambulance.  What a terrible ride.  Scott’s mom Robin was there to meet us. While in the ER, the doctor came in and said they saw something in a quick CT scan that warranted concern.  So, then it began.  A tumor was discovered.  I don’t think Robin and I slept all night.  In fact, I don’t think I was able to think all night long.  I cannot explain the way my body and my mind felt knowing what we knew.  

A biopsy was performed to see if the tumor was on the outside or on the inside of his brain.  Unfortunately, it was on the inside.  They determined that he had an Astrosytoma grade 2 Brain Tumor.  Scott was finally starting to come to a little bit to understand where he was and what was going on.  He was also still having seizures while he was awake which scared him to death.  The hospital put an extra bed in his room for me because I just couldn’t leave.  How could I leave him there scared, nervous, anxious and in pain?  Then the doctors told us that they were sending us home and that the team of Dr. Freidman from Duke would contact us.  Wow, I was taking him home to see Cole (1yr old at the time, almost 2), now I’m scared.  They gave me a HUGE list of medicines, instructions to follow and what to do if he had a seizure.  We were home about 2 days and Dr. Freidman’s team called to set up a craniotomy, which is brain surgery while the patient is awake.  I was still in a fog with all that had taken place in a week, just a week.  I prayed like I have never prayed before. I talked to God like never before.  I promised Him so many things if He could just give me back Scott, just send him home to play tackle with Cole, to kiss me, to watch TV with me.

Scott had his surgery.  They could only remove some of the tumor because if they had taken all of it, he would have been paralyzed or worse.  Scott was awake during the surgery and has many stories to tell about that.  You should ask him, he loves to talk about it!  He came home right away after surgery and was doing well.  He was out of work for 90 days and went back to work on his 91^st day.  What a brave man!  I’m so proud of him.  I thought to myself, how could I do what he is doing? It just amazes me the strength this man has.

Then Scott started having more seizures, headaches and fatigue.  He was the Acura Service Manager at that time.  He decided that it would be best to step down from Manager to become a service advisor.  Working was his passion!  He loved his job of over 13 years.  However, on August 13^th, 2008, Scott and I decided that he was just not strong enough to keep working.  He was having more seizures, feeling more pain and just too tired to work.  When he left work I think that this was harder for him than finding out he had a brain tumor, brain cancer. 

It is hard now because I cannot work either.  I cannot leave Scott alone due to his seizures.  I can’t leave Scott and Cole alone together because Cole is not yet old enough to know what to do in case he needs someone.  Our precious son Cole is a huge supporter and brave little boy when it comes to his daddy.  When Scott has a seizure, Cole will be at his side to help him cope by rubbing his back.  Wow, what a wonderful little boy, only 5 years old.

Scott is now on Chemo everyday and has been for a year because the tumor started to grow.  The doctors are trying to find a medicine regimen to help with his seizures, which they said will probably never stop.  Just this past December, 2009 he spent the holidays in the hospital because he had a terrible seizure which lasted an hour.  It started in the car.  He was not responsive and continued seizing once we got him in the ER.  The doctors then had to put Scott in a medicated coma with a feeding tube and a breathing tube while they tried to get the seizures to stop.  Scott is now on six medicines everyday (not including the chemo) trying to fight his way through this tough journey.

It has been three years now since his diagnosis.  Scott, Cole and I have tried to find our way in our new life together. We have fought, we have cried, we have laughed and we have made so many new friends and memories.  We now look at life in a different light - the little things are so much more important to us.  We appreciate much more than we ever did before. You see, Scott and I are fighters! We are not going to give up this fight!!  

Love to all!

Heather Lewis