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At age 12, Nick Segar's life took an unexpected turn when he began experiencing severe back pain and nightly episodes of immobility. Thanks to his father's medical background, the family knew something wasn't right. An MRI revealed a 12-centimeter grade I myxopapillary ependymoma inside his spinal column - marking the beginning of a two-decade journey that would eventually inspire him to help others.
"That initial diagnosis was just the first chapter of my story," says Segar, who has since undergone four major back surgeries and received two lifetime doses of radiation. Despite thinking his health challenges were over after ten years of clear scans, Segar faced a devastating recurrence at age 26, when doctors discovered multiple tumors in his lumbar, thoracic, and C1 vertebrae near the base of his brain.
Life has evolved into what sometimes feels like an endless cycle of MRI scans, tests, and waiting rooms. Each new "treatment" represents another moonshot, carrying with it the wavering hope of improvement. His determination was perhaps most evident when, following his fourth surgery and subsequent radiation treatment, he focused on a powerful personal goal: being healthy enough to marry his fiancée, Nicole, in June 2019.
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