How hunting may have saved my life

Wow, amazing story. Glad that things are turning out well for you and your family. I have this funny feeling that you're going to be rewarded in the field sometime soon for having such positivity and perseverance.
 
Wishing you all the best. You have a beautiful family. Everything makes sense at some point--whether in this life or the next. Keep strong.

If you want to shoot something in Idaho, feel free to PM and I'm happy to help. Cow elk in particular can be a slam dunk.
 
My name is Cody, I am 28 years old and live in Utah. Married for 6 years with three little kids. I started bowhunting soon after I got married. This was my 6th season and I’ve been unsuccessful every year. This year was a little different. I drew a good limited entry elk tag here in Utah. I hunted 3 weekends and then 1 full week but was unable to seal the deal. One thing that really frustrated me was locating bugles. At 12 years old I started to notice I was losing hearing in my right ear. I got it checked out over the years but never got a clear answer how it happened. Fast forward to this year. I would hear a bugle and didn’t know if it came from the ridge in front of me or behind me, above me or below me. So after the hunt ended I wanted to fix the problem. I did some research on different hearing aids and even cochlear implants. I went to see an ENT doctor. He asked how I lost my hearing and I told him I had no idea. He then asked if I had ever received an MRI. I had not. He said just to be safe I should get one and he made me an appointment a week later. The result...
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A brain tumor the size of a baseball. Luckily it was not cancerous. This was the cause of my hearing loss and I had no other symptoms. The doctors were shocked. I had a 14 hour surgery 2 days later and they were able to successfully remove the tumor. However the tumor grew around my right facial nerve which was severed so now the right half of my face is paralyzed. Pretty amazing outcome considering all of the things that could have gone wrong. I feel extremely lucky and blessed to be alive. Recovery has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I spent 3 weeks in the hospital and was released right before thanksgiving but I’ve had to go back to the ER 3 times now for a spinal fluid leak and infection. It’s been 5 weeks since the surgery. I am feeling a little better each day but definitely have a long road ahead of me. Please keep me in your prayers. The hunting community is as good as they come, so many good people. This experience has taught me how precious life is. If you’re reading this I hope you can show love to your friends and family and don’t take a moment for granted, especially hunting season!
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Praying for ya!! Hope for a speedy Recovery and I understand what you are going thru. A few Years ago I had a seizure and they found brain cancer, it had formed a tumor around my motor strip that control the right side of my body, I went thru Radiation and Chemo once and am back on Chemo again as it has started growing again.
God Bless and Have a Merry Christmas with your family and enjoy them!!


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Damn dude.....keep on fighting and things will work out. You are incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful family. They will be what gets you through this!
 
Speedy recovery man. That's crazy. Also I'm local here UT, if you ever need anything, help around the house, cars, whatever, let me know! Happy to help!

Same offer for scouting/hunts next year! I'll probably be hunting the OTC archery!
 
Prayers to you and your family...huge respect for you in this journey. Wishes for a speedy recovery to you from SD.


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Hang in there man! Good luck with your recovery. My brother had a benign brain tumor removed and that was 30 years ago. He has done great in life and you will too.
 
Cody, thank you for sharing your story with us. Keep your spirits up and get back on that horse. Please keep us posted.
 
God bless you and your family Cody. Keep us posted for sure. Prayers for a most expedient recovery so you can get back out and get on a bull.
 
My brother in law had basically the exact same thing. Tumor, loss of hearing, and when they removed the tumor, it had wrapped around his facial nerve as well. It's been close to a year now and he's now smiling mostly normal and it's getting better all the time. Keep the faith brother, do all your therapy exercises as directed and you'll be just fine.
 
Speedy recovery man. That's crazy. Also I'm local here UT, if you ever need anything, help around the house, cars, whatever, let me know! Happy to help!

Same offer for scouting/hunts next year! I'll probably be hunting the OTC archery!

I will be going for OTC elk as well! I feel like I need all the help I can get. Going into season number 7, gotta break the curse


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2 weeks ago the doctors put a PICC line in my arm because they were afraid I might have meningitis. I’ve been on a heavy dose of antibiotics to kill any infection. I saw the doctor this morning, he said everything looks good and I will get the line taken out Christmas Eve!


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Sounds like you have a great positive attitude and that is the key!! Best of luck for a speedy recovery. Hang in there!!
 
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