My Life Almost Ended From a Brain Tumor.

Ever since I first saw X Games on television, all I wanted to do was ride BMX bikes. Once I got my first BMX bike I was hooked. I realized my dream of becoming a professional BMX athlete. I got to see the places we learned about in school (e.g., entertaining troops in Iraq) and experienced different cultures. It was a 180-degree shift in my views of life and what we take for granted in developed societies, like clean running water. The sense that we often take the good things in life for granted would be amplified 100-fold in 2010.

"You have a brain Tumor"

One day in 2010, I hit my head while riding and had to get an MRI scan. What the doctors told me would change my life forever: “You have a brain tumor.” After the lesion was removed it was discovered that it was a meningioma, a benign tumor that nonetheless was occupying space in the left side of my brain and pushing down on my optic nerve, eventually causing intense headaches and affecting my vision.

The news was devastating. I had finally reached my goal as a professional BMX athlete. I remember thinking: “Who do I tell? What do I do with my things and money? Do any of these things even matter? Am I going to be alive long enough to do anything else? Will I ever get to ride my bike again?”  

On April 16, 2010, after a six-hour surgery, my brain surgeon successfully removed the meningioma and I woke up pain-free with a smile on my face. I could see, hear, smell, talk and move. I was 21-years-old – and I was going to live!

Despite some challenges, my recovery went well and  with the support of my family and friends  I improved over time and resumed my BMX career. Little did I know then that very soon I would once again need to tap into that support and into my personal reserves of courage.

In November 2012, a little over two years after my open brain surgery, I had an MRI scan as part of my yearly checkup. The results were nearly as demoralizing as the first time – doctors told me there were two small tumors that had grown at the site of the original tumor. I had experienced no symptoms – no indications at all that the same disease was coming back. The physicians spoke to me of various options, none of which seemed very appealing, particularly whole brain radiation or open surgery. My then girlfriend, Charlotte, and I decided to do some Internet research and we found something called Gamma Knife radiosurgery.

I had never heard of Gamma Knife radiosurgery, but the Internet was full of information about it and it seemed like a better alternative than opening my skull again for open surgery. I was psyched and learned as much as I could about it. Obviously, I was a bit nervous about having radiation in general, but as I discovered more facts about Gamma Knife radiosurgery my concerns began to lessen.

My brain surgeon agreed that Gamma Knife radiosurgery would be the best treatment. He said that another surgery wasn’t a good option because the tumors were located on or near a main artery it would be very unlikely, due to the risk, that they could remove all of the tumor. I trusted their judgement completely and decided to have Gamma Knife radiosurgery.

On the day of treatment, the doctors put a weird-looking (stereotactic) head frame on my skull – I was thinking to myself: “Wow. Are they really going to do that me?” As it turns out, it wasn’t all that bad and I didn’t feel a thing as they were putting the frame on because they numbed up parts of my scalp. The actual treatment was easy – it was like getting an MRI scan, but shorter. I went in and out of the tunnel (collimator helmet) three times for different lengths of time. The treatment was painless and quick.

I was BMX riding within a week after treatment and didn’t have any side effects from the radiosurgery, which was a big relief. My first checkup showed that there was no further growth of the tumors, and the next scan revealed that the two tumors were actually decreasing in size.

Never take your life or health for granted

Despite the challenges of my brain tumor experience, it taught me an invaluable lesson: Just because I am young and athletic doesn’t mean nothing bad can’t happen to me. Life and health are precious and you can’t take them for granted. This new mindset led me to think more and more about healthy living, and more specifically, healthy life choices, healthy nutrition and a positive mental attitude.

In February 2014, I enrolled in the world’s largest nutrition program, the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. A year later, I completed the program to earn a certification as a Holistic Health Coach, enabling me to help others achieve their goals to improve and maintain their health and wellbeing.

I want to live the life I dreamed of while helping others to do the same and to become as healthy as possible. I also wanted to show others I'm no different than them – in the sense that we all possess the power to overcome adversity in our lives. I am living proof that anyone can achieve their goals when they put their minds to it, nourish their body and think positively.

Josh continues to ride BMX at a professional level, representing Eastern Bikes, Garden of Life, Vans Shoes, Barleans Fish Oil, and Novik Gloves. Josh blogs about nutrition, BMX and health, coaches clients, and keeps up-to-date on holistic nutrition and health information. In April of 2015, Josh launched www.DailyBrainstorms.com to share his story and passion with the world.