Just after school let out in early June 2012, Tommy started to drink a lot of water. I mean A LOT! So he was tested for diabetes and that wasn't it; maybe it was just the summer heat. Then came the headaches, vomiting, extreme fatigue, and short term memory loss/confusion. After he was hospitalized for dehydration, he was sent home. Unfortunately he didn't get better and was sent back to the hospital. A CT Scan confirmed a mass in his brain, so off we went to Loyola Hospital to have different test results confirming that he indeed has cancer: a nongerminomatous germ cell brain tumor. We are still so amazed at how quickly (less than two weeks) he was diagnosed.
He was now in the hands of the wonderful medical team at Loyola University Ronald McDonald Pediatric Hospital. After surgery for two shunts to alleviate the pressure from the tumor, he began chemotherapy right away. He had five months of intense chemotherapy followed by proton radiation therapy at Procure Proton Therapy Center in Warrenville, IL. He seriously looked forward to going everyday there for six weeks and seeing the incredible medical team.
Eleven and a half years later, he is doing amazing and bravely continues on this journey. He will always have to take a daily dose of many different medications throughout the day including daily injections and yearly scans/checkups. But seeing how far he has come and how well he is doing is truly a gift.
Tommy has always fought this fight against cancer with a smile. He is truly a one-of-a-kind hero! Thank you so much for helping children like Tommy by raising money through St. Baldrick's. In the years past, we always donated to St. Baldrick's for other children. Now we are on the other side and so thankful for others that donate in honor of Tommy. He's CANCER FREE now and it's all thanks to the wonderful medical team that worked to save his life and donors like you since he was in a clinical trial! He's eighteen, Full of Life, and a Fighter. Let's continue to Tackle Tommy's Tumor and others by raising money for St. Baldrick's!!
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