Martín Romero

I woke up one day with very stiff shoulders and neck, coupled with the worst headache I had ever experienced. I thought I had forgotten how to sleep comfortably! In talking with my Primary Care Physician, I learned what I suspected: it is very hard to diagnose the cause of headaches. I also learned head imaging was available, but that it wasn’t usually the first step in these cases. Since the headaches came every morning coupled with stiff muscles, it made sense that the headache could related to tension. This was further “validated” when I felt relief from muscle relaxers or sessions with masseuses and a chiropractor. However, after months of just “patching” the issue, I requested a CAT scan prescription, which discovered extensive swelling in my brain.

On the same day as my CT scan, I was admitted to the Memorial Hermann ER, where eventually I would be diagnosed with a Grade 3 Astrocytoma and a Grade 4 Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). Since my diagnosis in August 2012, I have gone through 2 craniotomies, radiation therapy, oral chemotherapy and intra-venous chemotherapy. For the past 8 months, my regular MRI scans have shown that the tumor is stable (meaning no growth or shrinkage), which in the world of Brain Cancer is very uplifting news to receive. I owe such accomplishment to the medical team at the MH Mischer Neuroscience Institute and the support of my family and friends.

I first participated in the Run for the Rose 5K in 2013. I enjoyed the race very much because I had my friends, family, and doctors alongside me. This year I will dedicate my run to Mrs. Barbara Curnutt, in thanks for the inspiration she gives us all from her continued fight against her own Brain Cancer. I am not much of a runner, but the Run for the Rose is something special and not to be passed up.