Brain tumor survivor thanks MD Anderson for second chance at life

On Oct. 29, 2022, David Irwin woke up in a hospital, groggy and confused. It was his 39th birthday, but it was clear this was no celebration.

“I looked around and saw nurses everywhere. I asked, ‘Where am I?’” he recalls. “My wife, Andrea, saw me wake up, grabbed my arm and said, ‘David, you’re in the ICU here in Brownsville. You had a seizure.’”

David had spent two days in the hospital, where doctors discovered he had a brain tumor.

“I thought I was dreaming,” he says. “A day or two after I was released from the hospital, I asked Andrea if I really had a brain tumor. She said yes and went over everything the doctor said with me again.”

David’s brain tumor symptoms

David began experiencing brain tumor symptoms two days before his birthday. He was preparing to leave work and meet with his wife, kids and mother to go shopping. David left the office at 4:30 p.m., got in his car and started the ignition. But he never started driving.

“I passed out,” he says. “I woke up 30 minutes later, still in my parked running car.”

David assumed he was just tired after a long week of work and running around with two young children at home. So, he started the 5-minute drive home but immediately felt nauseous. After making it home and vomiting in the front yard, David entered his house. He was met by a concerned family.

“It had been almost an hour. They were asking me what happened and where I’d been,” he says. “My brain felt mushy. I thought I just fell asleep, but I wasn’t able to articulate that. That’s when my mother suggested calling an ambulance. Andrea agreed and said, ‘I’m calling an ambulance because you need to get checked out.’”

The decision to get treated at MD Anderson for brain cancer

In November, David had a brain biopsy in Brownsville, Texas.

“The neurosurgeon told me I had a Grade 2 brain tumor,” says David. “He said I could live with it and didn’t need it removed right away.”

So, David didn’t mind waiting a couple of months for his updated insurance to kick in before visiting a local oncologist.

“The oncologist said, ‘Why haven’t you gone to MD Anderson yet?’” David recalls. “He said I could have a ticking time bomb in my head, and we needed to let the experts handle it.”

David received the physician’s message loud and clear: this was serious. Get to MD Anderson.

Treatment for brain cancer

David had his first appointment at MD Anderson in February. He and Andrea met with neurosurgeon Sherise Ferguson, M.D., who went over David’s treatment plan.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better doctor. She explained everything so well, and I really felt like she was listening to us,” says David. “I can get lost with a lot of the medical terms, but Dr. Ferguson explained everything where I understood. She was wonderful.”

They all agreed to proceed with surgery to remove the astrocytoma tumor that was the size of a lime in David’s brain.

Ferguson performed a craniotomy to resect the tumor on March 15.

Side effects from brain surgery 

The tumor was located around the right frontal lobe of David’s brain. It wasn’t touching the area responsible for his motor skills, making it possible to fully remove the tumor.

“For the most part, my motor skills are fine, but some days I still feel like I’m recovering, like I’m a little slow in my thinking or I get overwhelmed,” he says. “For example, before the tumor, I could have three people talking to me at the same time and be able to focus in on one voice. Now it’s much harder to concentrate and focus.”

That’s the biggest side effect for David, who has been practicing law since 2009.

David took three months off from work before returning part time in late January. He returned to full-time work in May.

“My brother and uncle are my law partners, so while I was going through treatment, they really stepped up,” says David. “They carried the load for me for several months, allowing me to recover. I will always appreciate them for that.”

A second chance at life after brain tumor treatment

David currently returns to MD Anderson every two months to see neuro-oncologist Barbara O’Brien, M.D., and undergo scans. If no cancer is found after one year, he will have scans every three months.

“Dr. O’Brien had a conversation with us after my diagnosis,” says David. “We wanted to know the hard facts, how many years I had, everything.”

O’Brien told them it varies and that some of her brain tumor patients were diagnosed over 20 years ago. She also stressed that it makes a big difference that Ferguson was able to remove the whole tumor. 

“She said, ‘The best advice I can give you is just enjoy and make the most out of every day,’” he recalls. “I always felt the whole ‘seize the day’ saying was kind of cliché, but in that moment, it hit me. I felt like Dr. Ferguson gave me a second chance at life. And after hearing what Dr. O’Brien said, I told myself, ‘OK, this is my opportunity to take advantage of every day.’”

Embracing the joys of life

This past Christmas, David wondered if it would be the last one he’d get to spend with his family.

“I’m not in denial about my reality. That’s something Andrea was great about,” says David. “She let me feel what I needed to feel during that process of accepting my new reality.”

These days, David is enjoying practicing law and spending time with his family.

“I’d tell anybody in my shoes – if you are facing a cancer diagnosis and have small children – take as many pictures as you can, go outside and play with them, no matter how tired you are,” he says. “Don’t waste those moments.”

David credits MD Anderson for helping him get to where he is today.

“MD Anderson gave me hope. I don’t know that I’d have gotten that anywhere else,” he says. “Their medical professionals can do amazing things, and I know that I’m getting the best care at MD Anderson.”  

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