ThePhotoDept Chris Sturm

[Bassethoundmama]

I'm not sure if I'm supposed to say Trigger Warning first but I want to now say why I took an immediate dislike to this guy. I see this moron speeding down a highway while calmly discussing his potentially lethal disease. A few seconds with eyes off the road ... well we know what can happen. On Easter morning my son's GF's brother was killed in a single vehicle accident. He was coming home and was still out of state when it happened. He was only 25 years old and had so many plans for his future. He already owned 2 acres of property where he was planning to live kind of "off the grid". For whatever reason he ran off a two lane road in the middle of nowhere and the family will probably never know why. Then I see Mr. Photo Guy running his mouth while driving, at one point he's on a highway speeding merrily along. Just so wrong.

I am so incredibly sorry to hear that, only 25 years old and so much life ahead of him.
The Photo Dept (Chris) and I are similar in age (I'm 36) and I don't understand how he doesn't see it's wrong to drive and risk other people's safety. He seems childish and very, "me, me, me". Maybe I'm naive but I don't see his doctor just saying, "sure you're good to drive". There's a reason why there is a 90 period after a seizure to drive again. I believe at least Florida and Georgia have a 6 month period. But this guy didn't even wait 2 weeks? 3 at most

 

[Elpis]

I just saw Chris' instagram stories and in one still photo, he was wearing that molded brace on his face, that they make for people who are undergoing gamma knife radiotherapy to their brain when they have mets. Is there another possible reason for it?

 

[AlwaysScience]

I just saw Chris' instagram stories and in one still photo, he was wearing that molded brace on his face, that they make for people who are undergoing gamma knife radiotherapy to their brain when they have mets. Is there another possible reason for it?

I don’t know if it was in one of his videos or in the notes on his GoFundMe, but Chris has said he will get gamma knife radiotherapy on his brain mets. It makes sense that that would be one of his earliest treatments to prevent or at least slow the worsening of brain damage.

 

[AlwaysScience]

Chris has a new video up on YouTube. He has started gamma knife treatments for brain mets. He seems upbeat, though concerned about treatment costs. I hope he shares a lot about the financial burden because a lot of Americans have no clue that even cancer patients with insurance often end up filing bankruptcy due to the copayments.

Looks like survival time after gamma knife for NSC lung cancer brain mets is typically between 9 and 13 months. As people point out often, survival time estimates are always based on looking back and current treatments might give patients more time. Seems that a lot of people in the comments are hoping he gets remission. They clearly have not looked up survival info for stage 4 NSC lung cancer with brain mets.

 

[Bassethoundmama]

I noticed he updated the goal of his GFM again. Now at $100,000. I truly don't think he even realizes the debilitating cost yet. But I agree - I hope he is transparent with the costs so maybe people will see what having cancer in America (can) cost you.

 

[riley123]

A new vlog including driving to his next treatment. He did mention that he's very stubborn which might indicate why he's filming in the car even though so many people told him he shouldn't. His good news is that the cancer is EGFR positive. Was that Jenny's type also? His is also in his spine.

 

[AlwaysScience]

A new vlog including driving to his next treatment. He did mention that he's very stubborn which might indicate why he's filming in the car even though so many people told him he shouldn't. His good news is that the cancer is EGFR positive. Was that Jenny's type also? His is also in his spine.

I’m seeing conflicting info online.One source says EGFR positive means survival estimate in NSC lung cancer with mets is only 4-6 months. Central nervous system mets are common with EGFR - like mets to the spine. But another article says it has a better prognosis. Looks like there is more than one EGFR mutation so that might explain the difference.

 

[riley123]

I don't know if he feels, and commenters think, that he will be completely cured. I thought it's interesting that his girlfriend is a nurse who works with cancer patients. I certainly hope that he does well and I'll continue to watch his vlogs to see his progress.

I found this information and I'm sure that new treatments are popping up so who knows what will happen.

"Further research from 2020 involved reviewing clinical information for people with EGFR mutation lung adenocarcinoma that had spread to the brain. Researchers found that following treatment with EGFR inhibitors, the survival rates for people with EGFR mutation lung adenocarcinoma were:

• 95.6% after a year
• 74% after 2 years

Additionally, the researchers found that the median overall survival rate for people with this form of cancer was between 25.8 and 44.2 months."

 

[TryingMyBest]

Sadly I feel like he thinks he's going to be cured and live a long life. That is seldom the outcome with this type of cancer that has already spread to the brain and spine.

 

[riley123]

He posted a medical bill from the ER visit. $19,000. Why should he expect friends and strangers to pay his bill when he made the choice to not carry any medical insurance?

 

[mayday mayday]

Ivory from Ivory's Diary was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer that had at least one of the EGFR mutations. She started the oral drug Tagrisso and her med onc told her that it would only work for about 19 months. Tagrisso stopped her metastatic tumors from growing and she had around two good years living with metastatic disease. Sure enough, the Tagrisso stopped working and from I remember nothing else worked after that. Then she was diagnosed with leptomeningeal mets and she rapidly declined and went into hospice care. Her channel was very informative, she clearly explained her diagnosis and the impact of the EGFR mutation(s), I think she had one of the rarer mutations. From the start she knew she had a terminal illness and lived as best she could. Overall the EGFR lung cancers have a lousy prognosis but the anti-EGFR treatments are allowing patients to live longer and often without debilitating side effects.
---

He posted a medical bill from the ER visit. $19,000. Why should he expect friends and strangers to pay his bill when he made the choice to not carry any medical insurance?

I can't watch him ... has he said why he doesn't qualify for Medicaid???!! The only reason would be that his income is too high to qualify. The hospital has financial staff that would assist him in obtaining Medicaid coverage. This process would have started at his very first hospital encounter. And I agree ... it was his choice not to carry insurance (wonder what the nurse GF thought about that) yet he expects a free ride.

 

[AlwaysScience]

Sadly I feel like he thinks he's going to be cured and live a long life. That is seldom the outcome with this type of cancer that has already spread to the brain and spine.

I don’t think he is as susceptible to magical thinking as TiffanyThinks is, but I do get the impression that he is not very good at realistic assessment of life situations. His driving so soon after his seizure is just one of his behaviors that lead me to think this. He also has said that he had not been a “heavy“ smoker, as if that would make him unlikely to get lung cancer. The ultimate lack of adequate risk assessment was the fact that he was in his late 30’s and did not choose to buy medical insurance until he got cancer.

Any of us living in the US could be in a serious car accident or a mass shooting and run up hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills. There are news reports of people in the US whose medical bills for cancer or trauma exceed one million dollars. You can file bankruptcy here to get the medical bills wiped out, but high quality rehabilitation hospitals are not available to uninsured people who do not have a lot of money. It’s not wise to be uninsured in the US unless you are a millionaire and wiling to let most of your net worth get wiped out by medical expenses.

His poor analytical thinking bothers me so much that I can’t watch his videos, but I do read the comments when he drops a new video. And I hope that treatment gives him more than a few more months of life that is enjoyable. It would be great if he picks up a lot of followers on YouTube so that he can make money from that, and not rely as much on donations. I would prefer to see financially able and kindhearted people donating for the expenses of people who have not willfully foregone medical insurance.

 

[AlwaysScience]

Found an excellent January 2024 article on progression free survival rates and overall survival rates when radiation is done on the brain mets immediately (versus later, after other treatments). Looks like between 2 and 3 years is median survival for NSCLC with brain mets that is EGFR positive when the radiation is done first.

Link: https://bmccancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12885-024-11868-9

If the link above gets removed, here is the title of the article “Analysis of the Efficacy of Upfront Brain Radiotherapy Versus Deferred Radiotherapy for EGFR/ALK-Positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer With Brain Metastases: a Retrospective Study”

Fyi note the word “efficacy.” Whenever you want to research the effectiveness of a medical treatment, use the word “efficacy” in your search - not “effectiveness.”

 

[Elpis]

Well, he adds one item to my frustrations. He's driving again! Very soon - like a week - after gamma knife.

And I still remember that first, he said he signed up for health insurance in the marketplace (i.e. Affordable Care Act). Second, he said the health insurance through his work would begin in April - that's this month!

I've really just had it with this person. I wish him well but won't waste any more time watching him. (But I'll keep checking here, so thanks to everybody willing to keep it up)

 

[AlwaysScience]

Well, he adds one item to my frustrations. He's driving again! Very soon - like a week - after gamma knife.

And I still remember that first, he said he signed up for health insurance in the marketplace (i.e. Affordable Care Act). Second, he said the health insurance through his work would begin in April - that's this month!

I've really just had it with this person. I wish him well but won't waste any more time watching him. (But I'll keep checking here, so thanks to everybody willing to keep it up)

Yeah I bet he tried to sign up for insurance under ACA and found out that he didn’t qualify for any exception that would let him sign up after the open enrollment period ended January 15. So then he probably reached out to the state of Wisconsin and his girlfriend’s income as a nurse was too high for him to get on Medicaid. I looked at the Wisconsin info and for 2 people the monthly income has to be under $1,700 to qualify for Medicaid.

Im guessing his only option for medical insurance is through his new job that doesnt allow him to get insurance at first. If they move to California to be near his dad then that move might allow him to sign up for insurance under ACA.

 

[Elpis]

He said he actually paid for a policy on the ACA (and seemed annoyed that he had to buy it because his work insurance would be available the next month - April). This was just several weeks ago.

Oh and it just occurred to me - didn't he say his "wife" was a nurse? If so, she could put him on her policy. Or if she didn't get insurance through work, she could sign up at the ACA website and put him on her policy that way. But maybe she's just a girlfriend...

What I really think: a whole lotta lying is going on.

But anyway.... yeah, I hope you're right and I'm gonna try to disengage because he annoys me a lot.

 

[AlwaysScience]

He said he actually paid for a policy on the ACA (and seemed annoyed that he had to buy it because his work insurance would be available the next month - April). This was just several weeks ago.

Oh and it just occurred to me - didn't he say his "wife" was a nurse? If so, she could put him on her policy. Or if she didn't get insurance through work, she could sign up at the ACA website and put him on her policy that way. But maybe she's just a girlfriend...

What I really think: a whole lotta lying is going on.

But anyway.... yeah, I hope you're right and I'm gonna try to disengage because he annoys me a lot.

It’s his girlfriend who is a nurse.I think they live together.

I think he tried but don’t think he was able to get insurance though ACA because he now is saying he hasn’t been able to get on a “state” program. He said somoen he deals with at the hospital was “surprised.” I would not have been trying to get on the “state” program if he had succeeded in getting insurance via ACA. His “surprise” about not getting on the state program strikes me as entitlement.

I did break down last night and watch his latest video out of curiosity. He is coming across a lot less cocky. My guess is because he found out he can’t “game” the ACA insurance program by only signing o because he has cancer, can‘t get the state to cover his medical expenses, and has gotten a realistic idea from the hospital of what all the cutting edge medical care is going to cost him.

It‘s clear that his followers who comment on his videos are not picking up on this and just feel sorry for him.I aging their outrage if anyone commented about him not being willing to pay for insurance via the ACA when he thought he was healthy, then wanting to get it when he has cancer.

The move to California will be a big deal for his girlfriend.

1. She has had a front row seat to his attitudes - including his admitted stubborn refusal to listen to her about eating healthy for weeks after his diagnosis. Who knows what else he was stubborn about and she works with cancer patients so she had a wealth of useful information to share with him. That is hubris, if not sexism.. Does she want to follow a man like that across the country?

2. She knows he might only live 2 or 3 years after they move so does she want to uproot herself for that? She would start over as a nurse and new nurses often are at a disadvantage versus experienced nurses at work in things like picking shifts and also in terms of being respected.

3. Is he going to marry her or is she going to move across the country to continue to be a girlfriend? Has he been unwilling to commit to her and is he now expecting her to provide the level of support a married person would expect from their spouse?

 

[TryingMyBest]

It’s his girlfriend who is a nurse.I think they live together.

I think he tried but don’t think he was able to get insurance though ACA because he now is saying he hasn’t been able to get on a “state” program. He said somoen he deals with at the hospital was “surprised.” I would not have been trying to get on the “state” program if he had succeeded in getting insurance via ACA. His “surprise” about not getting on the state program strikes me as entitlement.

I did break down last night and watch his latest video out of curiosity. He is coming across a lot less cocky. My guess is because he found out he can’t “game” the ACA insurance program by only signing o because he has cancer, can‘t get the state to cover his medical expenses, and has gotten a realistic idea from the hospital of what all the cutting edge medical care is going to cost him.

It‘s clear that his followers who comment on his videos are not picking up on this and just feel sorry for him.I aging their outrage if anyone commented about him not being willing to pay for insurance via the ACA when he thought he was healthy, then wanting to get it when he has cancer.

The move to California will be a big deal for his girlfriend.

1. She has had a front row seat to his attitudes - including his admitted stubborn refusal to listen to her about eating healthy for weeks after his diagnosis. Who knows what else he was stubborn about and she works with cancer patients so she had a wealth of useful information to share with him. That is hubris, if not sexism.. Does she want to follow a man like that across the country?

2. She knows he might only live 2 or 3 years after they move so does she want to uproot herself for that? She would start over as a nurse and new nurses often are at a disadvantage versus experienced nurses at work in things like picking shifts and also in terms of being respected.

3. Is he going to marry her or is she going to move across the country to continue to be a girlfriend? Has he been unwilling to commit to her and is he now expecting her to provide the level of support a married person would expect from their spouse?

I imagine if they did get married he would have insurance thru her employer.

 

[Bassethoundmama]

I don't think this would not be the first time she moved cross country with him it seems. I don't think I'll be continuing to watch his journey, I wish him well but I think he comes across as an arrogant ass.

 

[AlwaysScience]

I don't think this would not be the first time she moved cross country with him it seems. I don't think I'll be continuing to watch his journey, I wish him well but I think he comes across as an arrogant ass.

Damn! She moved with him 2.5 yrs ago and she is still his “girlfriend” - not his fiance. If she grew up in Oklahoma then she grew up with the evangelical Christian patriarchy belief system. Wonder if she has even heard of the decentering men and defying patriarchy movement that US women in their 20’s and 30’s are championing. She may be the sole provider of consistent income in that relationship.

Admittedly I don’t have a lot of information about the man, but I’m seeing so many red flags re Chris Sturm based on things he says online and what we know of his actions.