"Be thankful for today, because in one moment, your entire life can change."

 

Darrick enlisted in the Army National Guard in July of 2000 at the age of 17 and was deployed from 2006 to 2008 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During his deployment to Iraqi Darrick was exposed to a significant amount of air pollution from military burn pits while fueling and maintaining medevac helicopters. The exposure to the toxic gases is now linked to a multitude of cancers in our young combat vets. These cancers are very aggressive, and the VA Health System take months if not years to navigate, time that our veterans don't have to wait.

 

On September 15, 2024, Darrick started his day just as many other "normal" weekends spending time with his family and coaching his daughter's micro soccer team.

 

When Darrick and his family returned home, he headed outside to work on a retaining wall that he was building on the property. While working on the property he started feeling ill and decided to go inside to get some water and take a break from the heat. Amy, Darrick's wife quickly noticed that Darrick had slurred speech, and the left side of his face was drooping and made the decision to take him to the Emergency Room at UNMC Bellevue, NE. An MRI was ordered to rule out the possibility of a stroke. The MRI revealed a large mass in the right frontal lobe of Darrick's brain upon review by a neurologist he was immediately transported by ambulance to UNMC Omaha.

 

On September 19th Darrick underwent a craniotomy with resection of the tumor that was confirmed by the pathologist to be stage four Glioblastoma.

 

Following surgery, Darrick remained sedated until Saturday September 21st to help reduce the stress and swelling as a result of the traumatic surgery he underwent. Darrick started rehabilitation on Monday September 30 at Madonna in Omaha where he began working with physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. While the rehabilitation team focused on Darrick's physical and motor skills the oncology team was working diligently to develop a treatment plan.

 

Although Darrick was thankful to his care team, he was ready to be home with his wife and children. They knew they had a long road ahead but were excited to have him home on Tuesday Oct 15th. With Amy's vigilance, she had concerns that the incision was not healing properly and pushed to have his follow up moved from Oct 24th to Oct 21st. Amy's concerns were confirmed, and Darrick was once again transferred to UNMC Omaha. At this time, he was readmitted due to an infection and a follow up surgery was necessary.

 

On Oct 22nd Darrick underwent a 2nd craniectomy to remove the skull plate that had previously been reinstalled and a thorough cleaning of the affected area was completed. Thankfully the infection had not reached his brain, however the wound needed to be cleaned out and he would remain in the hospital for 5 days until pathology test results could be received. With the skull plate removed Darrick will need to wear a helmet for approximately 6 months to protect his brain from injury. An additional surgery will be completed after this period to install a prosthetic to replace the portion of the skull that was removed.

 

Once Darrick's wound from the craniectomy's is healed enough he will begin radiation and chemotherapy. At this time, he is expecting to receive radiation and chemotherapy daily for 4 - 6 weeks.

 

Darrick has a very long road ahead of him, he chose to selflessly server his country and right now he needs those around him to help carry some of the load while he focuses on the battle ahead of him. Darrick is not currently receiving VA benefits and is unable to working at this time. The financial burden on Darrick and his family is tremendous he has already undergone extensive medical treatment and will require on going treatment in the months and years to come.

 

Our family cannot thank you all enough for your love, support and encouragement during this incredibly difficult time. "This is a reminder to tell the special people in your life that you love them. To kiss your spouse and to hug your kids a little tighter."