As soon as we heard the word chordoma, of course we researched it on Google. Michelle: The day that Daniel got his MRI, a team of neurosurgeons looked at it, and said it looked like a chordoma. How was the Chordoma Foundation involved in the process? I wanted to make sure that we increased our chances of him surviving and getting a total resection, and being here to watch our children get married and grow up to be young individuals. We weren’t willing to just take one opinion we had our goal to get multiple opinions from the leaders in chordoma research and surgery. Michelle: Our insurance’s network of neurosurgeons had told us it was a water cyst, and we didn’t need surgery. Having worked in the healthcare world, and just naturally being “go-getters”, after we had a good cry our discussions turned to, what are we going to do next? How are we going to put together a plan of attack? We needed to understand this condition, and, more importantly, find the best possible treatment. But also all the stuff in the future that I might potentially miss if this condition got the better of me.Īfter the diagnosis, what were your conversations like together?ĭaniel: Michelle was extremely goal oriented. As a father and a husband, my biggest concern was, would I be around to provide for my family? And to enjoy and experience all of life’s greatest moments? I kind of saw my life flash before my eyes, both in terms of everything I’d done and not done. I’d had a couple near-death brushes in the past, but this was the first time it really scared me. What was it like to receive the diagnosis of chordoma?ĭaniel: It was obviously world rocking. The Chordoma Foundation recently had a chance to catch up with Daniel and Michelle, who have been married for 11 years, to talk more about their journey with this disease and their recent fundraiser, which ended up raising an incredible $18,000. They would have fun with friends and raise funds to advance the research and development of new therapies for chordoma.Īs for the fundraising portion of the event? That’d be a surprise to Daniel. The birthday party would serve a dual role. With Daniel’s 40th approaching, Michelle wanted to celebrate her husband’s life, while also giving back to the Chordoma Foundation. The two connected with the Foundation, and with our help, found a pair of expert surgeons who, together, were able to treat and remove Daniel’s tumor. A self-described type-A personality, Daniel runs his own real estate investment firm, travels extensively, and most importantly is a husband and proud father of two young children.Īs Daniel and Michelle sifted through the Internet, looking for information about chordoma, one resource stood out: the Chordoma Foundation. What he didn’t know, though, was that his wife, Michelle, had a secret plan.Ībout a year earlier, Daniel had been diagnosed with a skull base chordoma. When Daniel Kalenov arrived for a celebration of his 40th, he knew he’d be spending time with close friends and family.
Advanced & metastatic disease follow-up care.