Spotlight on brain tumors

  • David Quick
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  • Posted: Tuesday, May 3, 2011 12:01 a.m.
    UPDATED: Friday, March 23, 2012 5:52 p.m.
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Mark Siwik, 40, of Summerville had surgery on a cancerous brain tumor, specifically glioblastoma multiforme, last December and is making the most of his life with his family, including children Matthew, 5, and Alexandra, 4, pictured here at a recent Easter egg hunt.
/ProvidedMark Siwik, 40, of Summerville had surgery on a cancerous brain tumor, specifically glioblastoma multiforme, last December and is making the most of his life with his family, including children Matthew, 5, and Alexandra, 4, pictured here at a recent Easter egg hunt.

Brain tumors can change the lives of entire families in an instant. Just ask the Siwik family of Summerville.

On Dec. 21, 2010, 40-year-old father of two Mark Siwik had a terrible headache and went to the doctor. An MRI revealed a tumor on the left front side of his brain. Eight days later, he was in an operating room having a craniotomy.

Test results showed that the tumor was glioblastoma multiforme, aka GBM, the most malignant of all brain tumors.

Siwik's next stop was the Medical University of South Carolina Hollings Cancer Center, where he had six weeks of radiation and oral chemotherapy.

After a four-week break, a fol-low-up MRI showed the tumor was stable. Earlier this month, he started a clinical trial.

In the meantime, Siwik says he and wife Terrah Siwik consider themselves "fortunate to function as close to normal as one family could through this event."

"My message, although it sounds cliche, is to slow down and enjoy every day of your life because you never know what lies ahead," says Siwik.

"How can one day you feel completely healthy and the next day be debilitated by a major headache that turns out to be the worst stage of brain cancer? I have been sentenced to death by this disease with no cure. Can you imagine that? A disease with no cure? This cancer is never going away."

For now, the best the family can hope for is for the tumor to remain stable and that the clinical trial will work.

"In the GBM world, stability is the magic word," says Terrah Siwik. "We are hoping these medications prove to stabilize the tumor and can prolong life until an effective treatment has been found to transform brain cancer from a deadly disease to a condition that people can live with for many years. Until then, it is one day at a time -- making the most of life with our two young children and each other."

As part of their fight, the Siwiks are new recruits in the war on brain tumors and plan to be part of this week's Brain Tumor Action Week, which seeks to raise awareness and funds for research being done in the MUSC Brain & Spine Tumor Program.

The first week of May is Brain Tumor Action Week, an initiative of the brain tumor community to educate the public. The Medical University of South Carolina Brain & Spine Tumor Program is holding several local events as part of the national initiative.

Today-Friday: Display table set up on the first floor of Hollings Cancer Center offering free brochures, free brain tumor awareness bracelets, $2 raffle tickets for prizes, a donation center where you can make a tax-deductible contribution to support brain tumor research and T-shirts. All proceeds will go to the MUSC brain tumor research fund.

Today: Dr. Ann Kulze, a local wellness expert, presents “Just Say Whoa! to Cancer” on the latest research on health and nutrition for individuals with cancer. 5:30 p.m. Hollings Cancer Center, Conference Room 120. Contact Rachel Beard at beardr@musc.edu or 792-6592.

Wednesday: Brain Tumor Action Fair. Support services, food and fundraising opportunities. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Charleston Mayor Joe Riley will attend the opening at the MUSC Horseshoe.

Thursday: Panel Discussion and Q&A with the Neuro-Oncology Multidisciplinary Physician Team. Hollings Cancer Center, Conference Room 120. Contact Rachel Beard at beardr@musc.edu or 792-6592. Brain Tumor Vigil Service, 5:30 p.m. Hollings Cancer Center Healing Garden.

Friday: Dr. Gabriel Martz, epilepsy specialist, presents “What Seizures Are and Why They Happen as a Result of Brain Tumors.” Hollings Cancer Center, Conference Room 120. Contact Rachel Beard at beardr@musc.edu or 792-6592.

Saturday: MUSC Brain & Spine Tumor Program Benefit Concert and Silent Auction. Featured bands include The 3 Dudes Band, Souls Harbor, Southern Charm, Jesse & the Trippers and Ben Fagan & the Holy City Hooligans. Silent auction items include items from restaurant gift cards and jewelry to a weeklong stay at a Myrtle Beach or Wild Dunes resort. 7 p.m. The Windjammer, the Isle of Palms. $10 in advance through etix.com or $15 at the door. All funds raised will go to the MUSC Brain Tumor Research Fund.