Fred’s at Swedish Hospital recovering from an arterial bypass in his right leg. It’s been a dicey 10 days with lots of blood transfusions, deathly low blood pressures, and confusion confusion confusion. But Fred seems to be on the mend and in the midst of it all, he’s still good for a punchline.
NURSE: I’m just going to listen to your belly.
FRED: I’ve never had any problems with my belly, except keeping enough in it.
An accomplished writer and filmmaker, Deirdre Timmons is a native Northwesterner who leads a busy life between working and spending time with her family. In the spring of 2013, Deirdre was caring for her mother with Alzheimer’s in addition to her normal routine. So when she began feeling tired and forgetful, she chalked it up to her busy schedule, age, and possible early symptoms of Alzheimer’s. It wasn’t long after that she began experiencing regular dizziness, lack of concentration, unexplained weight loss, and extensive bruising. This combination of symptoms seemed odd, so Deirdre sought the advice of her doctor and subsequently began physical therapy for dizziness. When the symptoms worsened, she pursued further investigation.
After MRIs, x-rays, blood tests, a CAT scan, and a brain biopsy, her brain surgeon diagnosed Deirdre with a malignant medulloblastoma brain tumor. Her prognosis: one month to live. That was five years ago.
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