Nolen
By Melanie Speicher
SIDNEY — A yearly visit to the optometrist changed the life of Chad “CJ” Nolen Jr., of Sidney.
“On Dec. 2, 2023, he went in for a routine eye check,” said mom Jennifer Nolen. “The people at Sidney Eye Care noticed a swelling behind his eyes and then sent him immediately to Valley Eye Care, who confirmed the swelling. They rushed him in and did a bunch of tests. He was then sent to Wilson Health for a CT scan.”
The scan, she said, found abnormalities on his brain and he was sent to Miami Valley Hospital for more tests and a biopsy.
“It took a month to get the pathology report back,” she said, who added only 80 people a year are diagnosed with the soft tissue sarcoma that CJ has.
“He had three tumors on his brain,” said Jennifer. “Two tumors were removed on March 15. One was 4 cm and the other was 5 cm.”
Prior to his surgery, CJ had five days of radiation for a total of 10 rounds of treatment. He rang the bell on Jan. 3 for completing his radiation treatments.
“The tumors were resistant to it (radiation) so they started steroids, which caused his brain to swell,” said Jennifer. “The doctors said they have to get the tumors out.”
On April 1, which was his 25th birthday, CJ had the 66 staples removed from the surgery.
“He’s now starting immunotherapy, which he will have every three weeks,” said Jennifer. “We’re hoping we can stay off the steroids. But he will have the treatment for the rest of his life. The cancer is noncurable right now.”
Jennifer said CJ is very positive about the future and the treatment he’ll be going through. He’ll receive the IV infusion every three weeks.
“It’s not if we can beat it, but it’s when we beat it,” said Jennifer of the family’s philosophy. “We’re just taking the scenic route to get there, but we will get there.”
This isn’t the first medical situation the family has faced. In 2021, her son, Christian, 21, was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.
“He’s working to get some weight off before he can go on a transplant wait list,” she said. “He was diagnosed his senior year of high school and he still was able to graduate with his class.”
Then in 2022, Jennifer’s husband, Chad Nolen Sr., passed away. The year 2023 brought CJ’s cancer diagnosis.
To help the family with medical expenses, a spaghetti dinner fundraiser is being planned for Friday, April 12, from 4-7 p.m. at the IUTIS Hall on Wapakoneta Avenue in Sidney. They are asking for a $10 donation for the dinner, which includes spaghetti, green beans, a roll and butter, drink and a cookie or brownie.
“The people in Sidney have been phenomenal,” said Jennifer. “Because of them, we’ll also have a bake sale and raffle with it. We are also selling Team CJ bracelets for $10 each.”
Friends can follow CJ’s journey on Facebook at TeamCJ!! No one fights alone.
