In the span of just over a year, Greeley resident Jonathan Byrd had a seizure, two brain surgeries and chemotherapy. Now that he’s recovering, he’s never felt more like himself.
Prior to his seizure, nothing in Byrd’s life would have led him to believe he had a brain tumor. He had a persistent mild headache, but he didn’t think much of it and life continued on as normal.
But on Dec. 20, 2024, he had a grand mal seizure, leading to the diagnosis of a malignant brain tumor. A seizure is an abnormal amount of electrical activity in the brain that does not allow the brain to work properly. Seizures can present in a variety of ways. A grand mal seizure comes with a loss of consciousness, muscle stiffness and jerking.
Doctors diagnosed Byrd with anaplastic astrocytoma, a high-grade malignant brain tumor. On average, 100,000 people are diagnosed with anaplastic astrocytoma in the United States per year.
Known risk factors include a history of high-dose ionizing radiation therapy to the head or neck, age and certain inherited medical conditions, but there is no known way to prevent astrocytoma, according to Mayo Clinic.
Though doctors told him the tumor was small, Byrd felt that any tumor in his brain was far too big.
Byrd’s doctor, Sam Haider, said that unlike a tumor on someone’s digestive track, a brain tumor can be quite insidious. A tumor on the digestive track may cause notable symptoms such as rapid weight loss, but if a tumor in the brain is not affecting any area of important function, people may not know they’re sick.
The doctor “is saying all these things to me and I’m like, ‘I’m just hearing this guy write me a death note,’ ” Byrd said.
The first doctor Byrd saw told him that brain surgery to remove the tumor would have a 50% risk of weakness and paralysis. Byrd didn’t like those odds, and he felt like the doctor was dismissive of his anxieties about the diagnosis.
Jonathan Byrd, a survivor of grade 3 Glioma Astrocytoma, more commonly known as a brain tumor, poses for a portrait outside of the Banner North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)Byrd was lucky to be born into a family full of people who work in the medical field, who urged him to get a second opinion. One of Byrd’s cousins works with a hand specialist and referred him to Haider, a neurosurgeon..
“I got a referral through a hand doctor to a brain surgeon by some magic miracle,” Byrd said.
When someone finds out they have a brain tumor, even if it’s benign or tiny, is life-changing information, Haider said. He makes sure to personally chat with his patients and explain their condition, before they go down a doom-spiral of researching things themselves.
“I try to let them know that, ‘Hey, it’s a tough thing, but we’re going to get through it,’ ” Haider said.
Though the first surgeon who said Byrd’s risk of paralysis after surgery was about 50% was quite reasonable, Haider said, different surgeons will come up with different risk estimations. The percentage risk is calculated through an accumulation of doctor experience, technology and studies. They may not always be individualized for the patient. The quality of life after surgery is also dependent on many factors, like resistance to chemotherapy or location of the tumor.
Haider likes to ask patients how aggressive they want him to be in his surgical approach. Knowing his patients’ personal goals helps him to come up with a treatment plan that aligns with their goals.
Byrd’s tumor was located on the left side of his brain, with areas of important brain function along the back and middle side of the tumor, so Haider planned to start surgery toward the top of the tumor, to protect the brain.
Though Byrd and Haider first agreed to be super aggressive, Byrd later changed his mind due to concerns about losing strength on one side of his body.
“We went as aggressive as we could, but we were a little more conservative along this posterior bank of the tumor,” Haider said.
During that first surgery, surgeons removed 95% of the brain tumor. Byrd then underwent chemotherapy, which he completed early last year. He was surprised by how well his recovery was going, as he was up and out of the hospital the day after surgery. He even felt good enough to shovel about two weeks after the operation.
The tumor returned in the fall, requiring a second surgery. Byrd said the recovery’s been a bit slower, but he feels great.
“I’m feeling more like myself today than I have in the past year or so,” Byrd said.
Despite the hardships, Byrd is thankful for the diagnosis.
“Cancer, though evil and malicious, is not something I ever saw myself being grateful for,” Byrd said, “It has taught me many lessons that I wouldn’t have truly learned any other way. It granted me a new appreciation for this little thing called life.”
Before the seizure and brain surgeries, Byrd hadn’t quite realized the value he placed on being independent. It went against his nature to depend on the help of others, but he couldn’t be more grateful for their help now.
Byrd moved to Colorado in February 2024, and he had only been with his new employer for four months before his grand mal seizure in December. Despite not qualifying for job retention or medical leave, Byrd’s boss held his spot for him, and his office also participated in a fundraiser organized by Byrd’s family.
With the seizure occurring just days before Christmas, his family traveled to Greeley to spend the holiday with him.
And even though he is thankful for everyone who’s helped him, he still couldn’t let go of his need for independence. When he saw his mom taking down Christmas lights and being too scared to climb all the way up the ladder, he sneaked away to “use the bathroom.” Really, he went upstairs to climb onto the roof to help take down the lights — or at least to help as much as he could before his mom caught him.
Fighting cancer is a group effort, Haider said, as the patient, oncologist team, nurses and psychiatrists work to ensure the best possible outcome for the patient. Haider said it’s important the patient knows they are not alone in their journey.
“Its important to know that you have someone on your team that’s going to keep seeing you and keep listening to you and make a plan that fits your life,” Haider said.
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