YouTuber Simone Giertz Brain Tumor Returns, Fans Rally in Support

YouTuber Simone Giertz just announced that her brain tumor, which had been in remission, had returned. In a video uploaded on Friday, the 28-year-old stared somberly at the camera and announced: "It's this sort of video again."

In April 2018, the tech-channel host announced she had a brain tumor (which she had named Brian), and if it was unclear if it would end her life. Fans were obviously distraught, flooding her with support while she underwent surgery. Over the next few months, it looked as if the tumor was in remission and her health would be in the clear, but it came back.

"When I had brain surgery in May, they removed large portions of the tumor," she said in the new video. "Something I haven't talked about is there are still large parts of it left." She was technically cancer-free, and her doctors believed it was safer to leave part of the tumor in the places where it would be "dangerous to perform surgery," she explained. Giertz thought the tumor might come back, but she didn't expect it to do so only eight months after her initial surgery.

To combat the tumor, Giertz plans to undergo radiation therapy. "Monday to Friday for six weeks, I have to go the hospital and put this mask over my face to hold it in place and they are going to radiate my brain to hopefully damage enough of the tumor to discourage it from ever growing again," she said. There are many potential side effects to this sort of treatment, including blindness, deafness, hair loss dementia. The success rate is 90 percent with her type of tumor, but she's still extremely frightened about what could happen.

"I'm sick of being sick, and I have so many plans and projects I want to build. I was so excited for 2019," she said, admitting that she was reluctant to make this video because she didn't want to be labeled "brain tumor girl."

Giertz's fans have been quick to show their support, with a post on Reddit gathering thousands of upvotes in a few hours. "Really, really hope that this treatment works and she doesn't have any of the shitty side effects that she said might happen," wrote one user. "She doesn't deserve something as shitty as brain cancer for the joy and inspiration she gives to people," said another.

Here's hoping everything works out and Giertz is back to making ridiculous technology builds soon. If you would like to help the YouTuber, you can donate to her Patreon.