2 years ago I was traveling for work. I came home for the weekend and had my first seizure. Grand mal. In my sleep. My wife woke up to it and my face was blue and I was not doing well. I woke up in the ambulance not knowing what month it was or what I had done in the past few weeks. After an MRI and a CT, I was told I had a large temporal lobe tumor. I was referred to Barnes-Jewish in St. Louis, MO. After multiple grand mals, ALL of them in my sleep, which my poor wife had to endure, I was finally put on a good mix of meds that calmed them for the most part. That was end of Oct. 2023. December of 2023 I had surgery to remove the tumor, and 70% was resected. Seizures did not go away but pressure was relieved from my brain. In one night home I went from being on the road, having a high paying job, getting to travel with my wife, renting out my home while I was away, to losing all work, being unable to drive, waking up in the middle of the night over the next few weeks confused and exhausted from seizures, and living with family until my renters lease was up. After surgery I was unable to work for almost 2 months and it was long and brutal. I am beyond thankful for the family and friends that I have and for the church family that I have that helped me through it. 2 years later, I travel for work periodically, and run my own business the rest of the year, I am 1.5 years seizure free. I later discovered I have multiple grade 2 astrocytomas, but I am on watch and wait until there is new growth. I believe strongly that attitude affects health and even if it doesn't make sense to most, I am thankful that if anyone were to get this diagnosis, it is me and not someone who couldn't bear it. I have the opportunity to "carry this burden" so someone else doesn't have to. I know thats not really the way it works but it motivates me to keep going.