My mother-in-law has recently been diagnosed with a metastatic brain tumor. She began having severe fatigue and with her past medical problems, we took her to the physician for further studies. A lesion was discovered when a CT scan was completed on her head at the hospital. This tumor had apparently spread from her renal cancer (kidney) she battled years ago.

After seeking advice from her oncologist (cancer doctor) she decided to proceed with radiation therapy. This would entail radiation beams being directed at the lesion(s) and trying to keep them from advancing. No pain involved but certainly alot of work to do in preparation.

In addition, there are certain risks associated with this therapy although they are apparently minimal. One of those risks is an early onset of dementia. And this had her worried a bit.

She did fine through all the workup and process of being transported to Harborview Medical Center and the University of Washington. Great staff and great physicians guided her and those helping her through a seemingly seemless process that ended up with a successful treatment and no hitches.

We were able to have a good laugh with this Christian woman, who has little fear of death, as she is well aware of her eternal destiny. Wondering if she was going to have that early dementia she had heard of as a possible side-effect of the treatment, she expressed her concern to me, the personal family doctor.  

I asked her if she was still a Republican or whether she was a Democrat. She smiled and said, “I am still a Republican.” I confirmed that she didn’t have any apparent dementia yet.