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The Kautzer family couldn't have been more surprised by Brad's diagnosis. His recovery has given them a new appreciation for the time they spend together. |
On Monday, a CT exam revealed a large brain tumor – meningioma – located in the left-frontal area of his skull, and growing down into his brain. “I was in absolute shock over the diagnosis,” he admits. “It’s hard to imagine being in a worse position.” The business man in Brad wanted all the information he could get. “I remember Googling ‘brain tumor’ and reading all kinds of things – none of them good. I was convinced I was going to die.” | | Brad Kautzer was anything but sickly. At forty years old, Brad was in the prime of his life: a VP at a large corporation, well-traveled, with a wife, two daughters, and a lovely suburban home. An outdoorsman and athlete, Brad enjoyed the physical activities associated with hunting, fishing, biking, and water skiing. But it only took one weekend to turn Brad’s world upside-down. “We went up to our lake home that Friday,” recalls Brad. “I wasn’t feeling like myself…I noticed some memory loss, headaches, trouble concentrating, and had an overall bad attitude.” By the next morning, Brad was extremely confused, and having trouble putting sentences together. By Sunday night, Brad knew something was very wrong.  An avid outdoorsman, Brad takes a break
to play fetch with the family pooch. |
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Fortunately, Brad’s doctors envisioned a different outcome. The first step was neuro-surgery to extract the atypical tumor and reduce the risk of further complication. With the surgery successfully completed, Brad’s physicians prescribed a follow-up course of radiation therapy. Working closely with Dr. Sperduto and his team of radiation therapists, Brad was pleased to learn that he was a candidate for Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy, or IMRT. This breakthrough procedure would allow Brad’s therapy to be delivered in higher doses (compared to standard radiation therapy), and with very targeted accuracy. This meant that the affected area in Brad’s brain could receive intense treatment, while the healthy areas of his brain would be protected from the radiation. For five weeks, Brad received regular IMRT treatments – 30 in total – each lasting a brief five to ten minutes. “It was a quiet, painless procedure,” explains Brad. “It was like having an old-fashioned hooded hair salon dryer over my head while I laid on the table…The computer-controlled bowl rotated around my head, knowing where the radiation needed to go.” Brad continued to work, though fewer hours and with less travel, while he received his course of treatment. The only side effects he experienced were low energy levels, overall fatigue, and some hair loss in the areas where treatment was received. Now 41, Brad has resumed his life “absolutely as it was prior to the tumor,” he explains. “I feel very fortunate, and I know I had the best care possible.” However, there is one thing that has changed for Brad: “It sounds cliché, but it’s true…I have reassessed what is important in my life. I spend more time with my family these days. This experience has helped me put things in better perspective.” |
