Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.
In April, 17-year-old Beau Christensen's final football season at Riverview High School began much like any other, with high spirits and a readiness to complete his last season as a senior with as much success as possible. After full-contact practice began, however, Christensen went home one day after practice feeling unwell, a feeling that only got progressively worse over the course of the next few days. By the end of the week, his symptoms included fatigue, dehydration, headaches and vision problems. One morning, Christensen awoke in the early hours of morning with excruciating pain in his right eye socket, as well as nausea and vomiting. It was then that Christensen and his family knew that something was seriously wrong.
While they are not long-term locals, you might have met them before; the family owns property on the county line in Greenville, and Beau's brother Stu Christensen, who organized the GoFundMe, currently works for Jefferson County Fire Rescue, while he attends college at Florida State University in Tallahassee.
After several evaluations to try and get to the bottom of his troubling symptoms, Christensen was referred to an ophthalmologist, who discovered after strenuous testing that he had increased pressure on his cranial nerves as well as within the cranial space. With no time to lose, Christensen was taken to the emergency room immediately for an MRI, which showed that a large brain tumor was to blame for the swelling and pressure in his skull.
To the family's great relief, personal friend and family physician Dr. Dean Hautamaki took control of the situation, and Christensen was airlifted to University of Florida Health (UF) Shands Hospital in Gainesville, where he was admitted under the care of neurosurgeon Dr. Jason Blatt.
At the end of May, Dr. Blatt performed a 10 hour long surgery procedure to remove the tumor from Christensen's brain. He remained in the ICU for 11 days and had an additional surgery seven days later to insert a shunt. The procedures were a success, and Christensen can now begin his treatment plan, which consists of three rounds of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation therapy to ensure the growth does not return.
In addition to his treatment plan, Christensen has been accepted as a candidate for an immunotherapy study. The University of Florida’s Research Department plans on developing a vaccine using a portion of Christensen's tumor as well as his donated blood cells. Christensen will then receive injections of the vaccine that will enable him to fight any further growth of any possible future tumors. The treatment plan will last 10 months to a year in total.
Christensen and his family feel exceptionally grateful and are handling this difficult time with positivity and hope. Christensen's swift diagnosis and his continued recovery is due to the dedicated work of physicians, nursing personnel, support from family and friends and the unrelenting faith of the family. The family understands that without the research and medicine available, the story could have ended so differently.
The family was skeptical about starting up a GoFundMe page, as they felt very blessed with the fortunate outcome, but finally agreed to set up a fundraiser with the strict intention of collecting money that will all go directly to research. The family understands the grave importance of research in immunotherapy, for, without it, Beau Christensen's tumor has a large chance of coming back. The family wishes for other families in similar situations to be able to have the same opportunity of recovery that they had. “We want to pay it forward, and be a part of helping others to have the same opportunity to beat this horrible disease.” The family stated. “We are asking for your support to help raise money for the researchers at the University of Florida's Preston A. Wells, Jr. Center for Brain Tumor Therapy.” The researchers are developing advanced personalized immunotherapy treatments for brain cancer. Support from the community, as well as family and friends will directly impact their efforts to help other brain tumor patients beat the disease.
The family has been approached by others who have offered to generously match the final amount donated, so anyone who can give even the slightest amount is encouraged to do so. The Christensen family asks that if you are unable to contribute financially, prayers for those who are struggling with this medical condition would be greatly appreciated.
The family would like to thank all of the people who have so far donated to their cause, as well as give a huge thank you to all of the medical professionals and personnel who helped aid Christensen in his road to recovery and survival.
To support this fundraiser, please go to: https://www.gofundme.com/f/beau-christensens-immunotherapy-research.