By Rebecca Dutro
On Saturday morning, July 23, Andrew Theriot, 37, had a grand mal seizure at his home in Aptos with his wife, Stephanie, and their daughter, Audrey.
He had a quick succession of seizures within the next hour until he was able to be sedated at the emergency room at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz. He was transferred to the intensive care unit later that day. He remains intubated and in a medically induced coma.
At this time, there are many more questions than answers and his doctors are determining whether he can be removed from sedation and whether he will need to be transferred to a hospital that can offer more specialized care.
For those unfamiliar with Andrew’s story, in March 2018, he suffered his first grand mal seizure and was eventually diagnosed with a Stage 4 glioblastoma brain tumor. He underwent his first brain surgery in May, followed by chemotherapy and radiation through the end of 2018.
After three years of continuous monitoring and treatment through top oncologists and neurosurgeons at UC San Francisco, Andrew needed a second brain surgery in September 2021, followed by more months of chemotherapy treatment. The last of his monthly scans at UCSF revealed a slightly worrisome anomaly, and they were due to return to find out more this week.
Despite this harrowing diagnosis so early in life and the relentless and brutal effects of the tumor and its treatment, Andrew has remained entirely himself and led a beautiful and rich life these last few years.
This is primarily due to his brilliant wife, Stephanie, who has been by his side and in charge of his treatment and care for this entire ordeal, and who has always ensured that Andrew is surrounded by love and living life to its fullest.
And the brightest spot in this time has, of course, been the birth of their angel baby girl, Audrey, who has given Andrew the role of a lifetime: Father.
They also survived this all with the help of their amazing community of family and friends, who have rallied around them with support in the form of love, time, connection, financial aid, and countless home-cooked, hand-delivered meals.
Thankfully, Andrew has not had seizures since his initial one back in 2018, and this abrupt emergency indicated a shocking change in his health and a mountain of unknowns facing him and his family.
We are asking his community to rally around them once again and provide financial support to alleviate some of the pressure and burden that Stephanie faces with this next phase. In the probability that Andrew is transferred to another hospital, she will need money for hotel rooms, childcare, and living expenses.
There is a chance she will not be able to return to teaching math at Aptos High School when school starts again in a few weeks. She is the department chair.
Thank you so much for your support. It has been truly life-changing for them. Stephanie asks that we pray / send love out into the universe / whatever you do to help Andrew to return to us and have more time with his beautiful family.
If you prefer 100% of your donation to go immediately to Stephanie, you can Venmo her at @Stephanie-Paureau. The last four digits of her cell to verify her account are 6684.
We will keep you updated here and through their existing Meal Train. If you would like to read through all of the updates since 2018, you can access them here: www.mealtrain.com/trains/1mmd7z/updates/
That will also be where we post Meal Train information if Andrew and Stephanie need additional local support.
July 25
Today there was an amazing development — Andrew woke up!
Starting this morning, he did not show signs of seizure activity as his sedation medication was slowly lowered, until he regained consciousness. He saw a physical therapist and, by the end of the day, was able to sit, stand, feed himself, and take a few steps.
He is weak and unbalanced and needs assistance with these tasks; we are unsure whether physical therapy will be needed. He will likely remain in the hospital for a few more days while they monitor him but will not need to be transferred to another hospital at this time.
Andrew continues to defy the odds and work miracles with his will and positive outlook.
However, this is the beginning of a new, more difficult phase in Andrew’s health rather than a happy ending to one traumatic event. It is unknown how long it will take and what kind of assistance he will need to recover, whether it is ongoing physical therapy, a third brain surgery, or more invasive and aggressive cancer treatment.
Many unknowns and obstacles remain in the road ahead, with the first step being another MRI and a consultation with his neuro-oncologist.
No matter what happens, it is certain that Stephanie and Andrew will need to adjust their lives to accommodate this new level of their reality. The generosity of you all is allowing them a bit more grace, space, and options to move forward.
Stephanie is blown away by the support they have received and wants us to convey her deepest gratitude to each of you.
Your continued support is life-changing and much appreciated. We will keep the updates coming. Thank you!
July 28
Here to share another wonderful development: Andrew is home!
After steadily progressing in physical therapy and responding well to his new medications, Andrew was discharged yesterday and was able to return home. His appetite, balance, strength and mobility are all slowly but surely returning!
He had a sweet reunion with Audrey at home and has been cared for by Stephanie and his family at the ranch. He was even up for a few short visits from close friends yesterday.
He has an MRI at UCSF early next week, where his next steps will be determined.
For now, Stephanie and Andrew are wanting to focus on his current good health and the happiness of this remarkable recovery.
She is sure that a large part of why Andrew has defied the odds is due to his incredibly positive outlook and his ability to enjoy the present moment, as well as the love and support he has received. When Andrew saw everyone who had donated here, he was really shocked and moved.
Sometime soon we will be updating the Meal Train with dates and times for hang seshes with Andrew and/or Audrey, and possibly meals. Thank you all again, so much, for filling Andrew’s cup and showing the power of community care. We are all so grateful!
August 5
Unfortunately the results from Andrew’s stat MRI on Monday showed several new areas of tumor progression adjacent to the original resection cavity. All of this growth occurred within the last several weeks and is no doubt the cause of the seizures. The quantity and location of the tumors prevent a third brain surgery from being an option.
Today, Andrew’s neuro-oncologist presented Andrew’s case to the UCSF Tumor Board. They agreed that the best treatment plan is to proceed with a new brain tumor chemotherapy, CCNU, along with several weeks of radiation therapy at UCSF. He starts this chemo tomorrow morning. The radiation therapy will likely begin next week.
The news from this latest scan have been really hard for Andrew and Stephanie. They are grateful to now have an action plan in place, for the time Andrew has been recovering and feeling well at home, and for all of the support from family, friends, community members, and generous strangers.
Stephanie would like us to share that a portion of the money raised so far has been used to improve safety and accessibility for Andrew in their tiny home.
They will also use part of it to rent a private place to stay near UCSF for the duration of Andrew’s radiation treatment, as he will likely be feeling very unwell.
They also hope to use the money to pay for daycare for their daughter, Audrey, since Andrew has been her primary caretaker during the school year while Stephanie is teaching.
This family has been through so much, and deserves peace and togetherness.
Although Stephanie is extremely dedicated to teaching, additional contributions would alleviate stress and financial burden to allow her to take time off work and support her husband, and take care of herself and their daughter.
Everything you have done so far already has been life-changing, and we cannot adequately convey their appreciation and gratitude. Please continue to share their story, and consider donating if you are able and seeing this for the first time.
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Editor’s Note: Andrew Theriot grew up in Aptos, graduated from Aptos High in 2002 and got his degree in electrical engineering at Cal State Fresno. He went to work at Fox Thermal. He met his wife-to-be, Stephanie Paureau, while playing on the same coed softball team in 2012. She grew up in Santa Cruz, graduated from Santa Cruz High in 2002, and graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where she majored in engineering. They got married in the summer of 2017. Andrew has not been able to work since his initial seizure in 2018. Stephanie was chair of the Aptos High math department until her maternity leave in 2020.
Go Fund Me: www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-andrew-and-his-family