From Debilitating Diagnosis to Amazing Adventures Once Again

My name is Martin Leavitt, and I grew up in Florence, AL, and have spent most of my life in the greater southeast region of the US.  Throughout young adulthood I have attempted to balance the pursuit of outdoor adventure with my personal and professional lives.  Throughout college, I spent the summers whitewater raft guiding and kayaking on the Ocoee River in Southeast Tennessee.  This led to the opportunity of kayaking the Grand Canyon in 2015, the highlight of my many adventurous pursuits.  Although whitewater was my first love, I have had the fortune of a hobby-rich life which includes cycling, backpacking, and most recently skiing.  All that to say, experiencing these activities with family and friends created an enormous amount of joy. 

This lifestyle came to a screeching halt in July 2021 when I was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor. Within 10 days of the diagnosis, I underwent a biopsy to learn the tumor’s genetics and plan the best treatment strategy. The biopsy caused tremendous physical setbacks which rendered my left side mostly unusable and impacted my vision, speech, and balance.  I was fully dependent on caretakers, unable to work or drive for over 6 months.  At the time, I was living in Nashville where I received 6 weeks of radiation and had an amazing rotating cast of caretakers – family and friends that would help with cooking, cleaning, and transportation to radiation treatment daily. 

Overwhelmed by the situation and researching how to improve our odds, my family researched and discovered the benefits of eating a clean and nutritious diet during cancer treatment.  While convinced that the direction of looking to food to heal, the planning, shopping, and preparing nutrient-dense meals was an additional burden on me and everyone involved. In a passing conversation, a family friend mentioned she had heard of an organization that assisted with healthy meals for those undergoing cancer treatment.  After a quick search, I discovered The Heimerdinger Foundation and I immediately reached out.  Within a week HF was providing organic, nourishing meals to me and to the caretakers who were aiding me. The amount of stress this removed, and the sense of compassion we felt, is indescribable.  We were able to redirect our energy into positive channels and I was able to fully concentrate on healing.  

That season all started in August of 2021 – then, flash forward to April of 2022. In that month’s recurring MRI, we discovered that the scan showed No Evidence of Disease (NED) — a dream come true.  July of 2023 will mark 2 years since the diagnosis.  I have now returned to work, to driving, and to many of the adventurous activities I love. I have been fortunate enough to again kayak the Ocoee River, and even went against the oncology team’s advice to go skiing at Breckenridge, CO this past March.  

When I reflect on my journey, I believe there has not been one singular element that has caused my treatment to be successful thus far.  Medical oncology, family support, friend network, peaceful environment, better nutrition, physical therapy, and a positive outlook have all contributed to the incredible recovery I would have never predicted.  I joke that the perk of this situation is that I have received more generosity in the last 2 years than most will in their entire life.  Of the abundant generosity, I would argue that the support The Heimerdinger Foundation provided has been the most impactful gift of all the past few years. Meals 4 Health and Healing truly filled the gap and removed the burden of decision making, shopping, and preparing meals which allowed my family to invest our time in each other.  Your gift has been priceless to my family, and I am eternally grateful.