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James Knowles was at home when he began having stroke-like symptoms.

His wife Candi, a nurse, immediately knew something was wrong and quickly got him to a hospital. A baseline CT scan showed a mass of some sort and he was transferred to Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center in Houston, where they learned James, 35, has a cavernous malformation, or cavernoma, at his brain stem.

Candi said the cavernoma is a bundle of vessels that formed abnormally while he was in the womb. It is not genetic, nor is it due to anything his mother did.

Basically, when James, a Port Arthur police officer, began having stroke-like symptoms when the bundle of vessels ruptured in his brain.

Illness

The medical emergency happened Jan. 26, and Candi recalls seeing her husband walk oddly, holding onto the walls. At times, it was as if he couldn’t hold himself up. She got to him, walked with him and sat him down.

“With all of this, we had to stop and count our blessings,” she said, adding they were at home and she was there with him. Had this happened while he was at work, the outcome could have been very different.

Cavernoma is apparently common and most people go through life without symptoms or even knowing they have it. A concern for James is the location and how the malformation can block off spinal fluid.

Currently, James is going through brain scans as doctors watch the progression of the illness. The last scan showed the area had shrunk. Yet, he still suffers from headaches and is starting on medication.

The police officer gets exhausted quickly and when stressed, pressure builds up in his head.

GoFundMe

A GoFundMe account is set up to help the Knowles with medical-related expenses.

“I had just got hired at a new place,” Candi said. “(The rupture) happened on a Monday and the following Tuesday I was supposed to start a new job. I had to talk to my employers and told them what’s going on. When all of this is over, I’ll get in touch with them and see if they have any openings.”

James cannot work at this time due to his medical condition.

“I think the main thing he would want to add is how thankful he is for all of the support the community has given to him,” Candi said. “He’s had a lot of people reach out.”

“Brains shouldn’t bleed” is the name of the GoFundMe page. Learn more gofundme.com/f/1vx44th7uo.