TORONTO -- The wife of a Canadian man diagnosed with a brain tumour while vacationing in Thailand says the majority of the mass was removed days before Christmas and it is not believed to be cancerous, as they were previously told.
In a statement posted to a GoFundMe page—which had been used to raise money for the Kitchener, Ont. resident’s return home—Jennifer Witmer said that her husband, Alex Witmer, underwent surgery on Dec. 23.
“The tumour itself was benign, meaning although he might still need chemo (or) radiation, it’s not an aggressive cancer and the surgeon suspects there’s no cancer at all,” Jennifer wrote. “We will know for sure next week.”
“He will likely need another surgery to remove the rest of the tumour, but the final pathology will determine when. He starts physio and speech therapy this week and we are crossing our fingers that we’ll be home soon.”
The couple had decided to go on a six-week trip to Thailand before relocating from New Brunswick to Toronto, but about a month into their trip Alex began to suffer from a severe migraine and went to the hospital. The couple told CTV News Toronto at the time that doctors said he had a massive, cancerous tumour inside his brain and required immediate surgery.
While Alex was given medication to reduce the pressure inside his head, Jennifer said she began to negotiate with her insurance company to get him home. The insurance company initially rejected an air ambulance flight because Alex had reported a headache while visiting a hospital in Moncton while he had a flu before the trip, but a few days later the company reversed the decision.
They were able to fly to Ottawa on Dec. 14.
Earlier this week, Jennifer said that she received news that the tumour, which doctors had previously told her was cancerous, was actually benign midway through the surgery. In a statement to CTV News Toronto on Monday, she said she has been “crying happy tears ever since.”
“Christmas hasn’t even been on my radar these past few weeks, but it’s going to mean so much more to us now,” she said at the time.
Jennifer said that the last month has been a rollercoaster and that her husband still has a long road to recovery. She also thanked everyone who donated and supported their family throughout the ordeal.
“Alex still has a long journey to full recovery but his story has been nothing but a miracle so far. The family sends their well wishes and sincerest gratitude.”
Jennifer said that any money left over from the GoFundMe page will be “donated to help others going through this.”
