Update – Shealy’s Condition “A Serious Matter”
DOCTORS HOPE TUMOR CAN BE “SURGICALLY CURED”
FITSNews – August 5, 2008 – Veteran political consultant Rod Shealy – who revealed this morning that he has been diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor – will undergo additional tests at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) today to determine whether or not surgery is a treatment option.
Shealy’s physician and longtime friend – former gubernatorial candidate Dr. Oscar Lovelace – told FITSNews today that his former campaign manager will be entrusted to the care of Dr. Sunil Patel, the top neuroscientist at MUSC. Lovelace said a brain biopsy would likely be performed on Shealy within the week, with those results hopefully available within forty-eight hours after the procedure has been completed.
“It’s a serious matter,” Lovelace told us. “We’re hoping that he can be surgically-cured.”
Lovelace discovered the tumor shortly after performing an MRI on Shealy, who came to the Newberry physician complaining of headaches and an inability to properly identify words and numbers.
“Basically he was having trouble word-finding, confusing his fives and his nines,” Lovelace said. “He knew he was doing it, but whenever a doctor hears something like that they get concerned.”
Lovelace said that Shealy wasn’t experiencing any corresponding numbness or weakness in his body, meaning that it was unlikely he had suffered from a stroke.
In his column announcing the news, Shealy describes what happened next …
“Within hours (Dr. Lovelace) had the results from an MRI, telling me ‘the news is not what we hoped for,’” Shealy wrote.
Shealy has already survived one bout with cancer, a melanoma that was supposed to have finished him off two decades ago.
“I think that is one of the reasons he’s lived his life the way he has,” Lovelace said. “When you’re told in your twenties that you have a thirty-percent chance of living just five more years, it makes you think about what’s really important.”
As we did this morning, we’d ask that everyone join us in keeping Shealy and his family in their thoughts and prayers.
Comments
By male sapphist on August 5th, 2008 at 11:24 am
It looks like political genius is causal to cancer.
If Rod Shealy can waterski from Columbia to Charleston then I know he has the fight to whip this cancer. If half the people that owe Rod their political positions put him on their prayer lists…I can see Rod Shealy bouncing back from this. Rod’s personality and aggressive action line bodes well for his recovery. If anyone can defeat cancer – Rod Shealy can beat cancer.
By Crooner on August 5th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
What’s with the brain cancer epidemic in politicos? First Teddy, then Bob Novak and now Shealy.
Have you seen the you tube video where popcorn is popped by cell phone triangulation?
If that concerns, repeat this mantra “there are no credible epidemiologic studies which show cell phone use causes brain tumors.” If that doesn’t soothe then you can be sure that there are no such studies for the model you are currently using, which of course means it is safe.
I smell a mass tort.
By Sherry Shealy Martschink on August 5th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Thanks for the prayers. Our family is most appreciative.
By Toyota Kawesaki on August 5th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Prayers Sent
By Give Me FITS on August 5th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Ummm…not to burst anybody’s bubble on an otherwise serious issue, but the whole popcorn thing is a fraud:
http://www.snopes.com/science/cookegg.asp
Better yet, it was cooked up (no pun intended) by a company selling Bluetooth devices.
Sounds a lot like the proposed hands-free phone bill that nearly passed the legislature this year….
By Like a Virgin on August 6th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Weren’t Rod and Lee Atwater responsible for creating the blueprint for the modern day dirty advisor? And Lee died of a brain tumor. This is a crazy coincidence isn’t it?
By Laura on September 9th, 2008 at 6:39 am
This is a very helpful post for me because My niece is still suffering from Brain Cancer she had after suffering from Stomach cancer.Thanks for such a useful post about brain cancer.
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