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...
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!
Donate to Medical Relief, organized by Nathan King
My cousins husband was in surgery for over 10 hours to remove brain tumor that had been unknowingly growing… Nathan King needs your support for Medical Reliefwww.gofundme.com
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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!