Man hopes surgery will cure his rare brain condition
By Kent Davis
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GRAND BLANC, Michigan (WJRT) — A man in Grand Blanc is getting ready for treatment that could get his life back on track after it was derailed by the discovery of a rare brain condition.
Graham Goodrich learned last month that he has a Cerebral Cavernous Malformation or CCM.
Genesee County Neurosurgeon Dr. Vivekanand Palavali says it’s a fairly rare condition, affecting roughly 1 in every 200-250 American adults.
While it’s not typically deadly, it can make life difficult.
“My income’s not only decreased, it’s come to a screeching halt,” said Goodrich on Tuesday.
He’s been unable to work since he had a seizure, which caused him to drive into a ditch seven weeks ago.
“I black out. Sometimes they’re 10 seconds, 15 seconds. [The accident] damaged my work automobile. By the grace of God, my son and I are still alive,” he remarked.
Afterward, doctors ran a brain scan and found a CCM.
“It’s a bunch of abnormal blood vessels in the brain that are very, very tiny like capillaries,” explained Dr. Palavali, who said when CCMs bleed, they can cause seizures and other symptoms.
“Depending on the location, you can have stroke-like symptoms… headaches, they can have dizziness,” he added.
Goodrich is also dealing with exhaustion– feeling drained after only a few minutes of playing catch with his son.
He told ABC12 that he now recognizes that his symptoms started as far back as December, but his past self brushed it off.
“If I could do it all over again, I would get checked out sooner,” he said.
In just a few weeks, he expects to be CCM and seizure-free when he receives surgery in Arizona to remove it.
“I miss my work, I enjoy my work… I’d like to shoot some hoops with my son and get my energy levels back,” said Goodrich.
While insurance is expected to cover the surgery, Goodrich’s family has started a GoFundMe to help with lodging and travel expenses.
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