John’s Story
John Roberts is one of our Glio Leo warriors fighting Glioblastoma, and has been a recipient of Glio Leo donations to help with his treatment and expenses. Glio Leo was able to learn about John's story through the National Brain Tumor Society. Read John's story in his own words below.
Please consider donating to his GoFundMe directly linked here:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/je8xh9-father-of-two-with-a-brain-tumor
Hello, my name is John Roberts. I am from China, Maine and have been married almost 19 years to my wonderful wife, Tiffani. I'm also the father of my two amazing sons, Patrick 14 years old, and Andrew almost 13 years old.
On July 4, 2023, I was not feeling well. I noticed at a family get together the day before, that my right leg wasn't responding properly. Then at work the next day, it gave out on me, and I collapsed. I was rushed to Thayer Hospital in Waterville, Maine, where I was given a CT scan and an MRI. The testing revealed a 3.5cm tumor in my brain. After a few days of waiting for an available bed at the hospital in Portland, I was brought there, and had the tumor removed. A biopsy of the tumor revealed it to be Glioblastoma Multiforme. Following the surgery, my treatment protocol consisted of 6 weeks of radiation and chemotherapy treatments. After that, I had to take a chemo pill for 5 days, once a month. I also had scheduled MRIs every 3 months to check for any regrowth in that area in my brain.
Before my diagnosis with this horrible disease, I loved life and lived it to the fullest. I was an avid photographer, who loved taking pictures of the beautiful nature all around me, going on hikes with my family, and having playful times with my boys and cats. I also enjoyed diving deep into genealogy and discovering my family’s history.
I was able to tolerate the radiation treatments and chemo pills, with little side effects. At most, it usually caused mild nausea. But throughout most of my time battling this disease, I have had little pain.
Unfortunately, in August of 2024, 13 months after the tumor was originally removed, the scan showed the growth had returned. Tiffani had noticed my right arm was weak and was concerned, so we went to the ER and after testing, found the reoccurrence.
My doctor recommended a new IV treatment instead of the pills. My next MRI in November showed that the tumor had shrunk, and we were so excited for this holiday gift. The gift didn't last long however, as our newest MRI in February 2025 showed that the tumor had progressed. So now, my next step is Hospice care. This is a scary time for my family, and I don’t think we are ready for what lies ahead. But who ever is? At the time of this writing, I haven't started hospice care, so I'm unsure of what challenges await us.
In addition to my loving wife and sons, my community, school, cancer center, co-workers and close friends have been so supportive and amazing. We have been bombarded with SO much LOVE. Oh how I wish I could bottle this LOVE, as I know we could cure cancer with it !
-John Roberts and Family