When someone is diagnosed with a tumor/mass, people
always ask the same question…Is it cancer? In most areas of the body, a mass is
diagnosed as malignant (cancer) or benign (not cancer). In the case of brain
tumors, it’s actually different. They are often diagnosed as malignant or
non-malignant. The way it was explained to us is that a mass in the brain can
easily become cancerous. That said, our friend Brody has a non-malignant brain
tumor but we wanted to still share his story during childhood cancer awareness
month because we think it’s an important story to tell. Read these words from
Brody’s mom, Sarah…
“When your
child is suddenly diagnosed with a lemon-sized brain tumor, you feel
overwhelmed. We were in complete shock on March 25th, 2015 when we
went from an Ophthalmologist appointment, to an emergency 3 hour MRI, to
discovering our child had a life-threatening brain tumor that had probably been
slowly growing for years. Brody was eight. He went from being a normal 2nd
grader to having a 9 hour brain surgery less than a week later at East
Tennessee Children’s hospital. We were prepared for the worst but he awoke
talking and asking for a drink! He spent the next 7 days in ICU with a shunt to
drain fluids from his brain while he regained he strength and mobility.
At first, he
experienced double-vision, headaches, extreme pain and stiffness in his neck by
trying to hold his heavy head up, and difficulty walking. But, after 10 days in
the hospital, he was released. We found out the day he was released that his
brain tumor was a benign juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma just as the neurologist
had suspected. It was wonderful news, however she was unable to remove the
tumor in entirety so this didn’t mean we were in the clear.
He only had 3
physical therapy sessions and rode his bike just a couple weeks after having
brain surgery. He was even able to go back to school half-days one month after
brain surgery! So, we really consider ourselves among the lucky ones. Brody
didn’t have chemo or radiation, or experience many of the post-surgery symptoms
like many other children. So, in many ways, Brody doesn’t feel like a childhood
cancer survivor.
Brody may appear
normal from the outside despite the scar on the back of his head. He makes good
grades and even plays soccer. Yet, he’s not the typical kid. He has follow-up
MRI’s every 3-6 months where they are looking for regrowth. He requires more
rest than other boys his age. And, he realizes he could have died.
A couple months after the surgery, at age 9,
we were driving in the car one day. Up until this point, he had rarely talked
about or brought up his diagnosis. Then suddenly and out of the blue, he stated
very matter-of-factly, “Mom, you know I could have died.” It took my breathe
away but this is our reality.
Living with a
brain tumor diagnosis isn’t easy yet it’s our reality as we wait and see what
our future holds. We remain hopeful and relish every day. We live with
gratitude and love for life each and every day. We work for research for safer
treatments and better long-term outcomes. And, we want this for all children.”
Brody’s family fundraises for Pediatric Brain
Tumor Foundation and on November 5th in Knoxville, they will hold
their 2nd Annual Starry Night 8k, 5k, and fun run in Knoxville. We
will be there and hope to see you there, too! https://runsignup.com/Race/TN/Knoxville/StarryNightKnoxville
#StarryNightKnoxville #tilleryisloved
#TILfoundation #alexsmillionmile #GoGold2017
To support
childhood cancer research in honor of kids like Brody, make a donation to our
team (TIL Foundation) with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. https://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/1314958
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