Conner has always kept us on our toes! He was born at 30 weeks and was breathing on his own the next day! He spent only 5 weeks in the PICU and has had no lasting affects (accept for one less dimple on his cheek from always wanting to be on one side). We were and are so grateful. He was always a fun, active little boy but somewhat clumsy so his first concussion in 2018 was unfortunate but didn't surprise us--his hands were in his pocket and the ice was slippery. The second only 3 months later made us concerned. He jumped off of a slide and hit his head. It didn't seem like a hard enough fall to cause a concussion. We were very careful with him the entire summer until October when he ran into a pole on the playground and got his third concussion in 9 months. CT scans showed a small mass at the base of his skull but was overlooked because the concussion was the focus. As we went into winter Conner started getting really tired and threw up every morning. After a neurology appointment we were told he had stomach migraines. I pushed for an MRI for which they were intended to schedule in the next couple weeks. The next weekend we couldn't stand to see him like this anymore and took him to the ER. There they did an emergency MRI and found the mass.  

We were rushed to University of Wisconsin's American Family Children's Hospital where it was resected the next day. We were so naïve back then. The doctor said that we were in for the long haul and I couldn't even imagine what he meant. After the surgery he had Posterior Fossa Syndrome for 4 weeks where he would cry out in pain, be aggressive and fight with those trying to take care of him. It was the scariest moments of our lives wondering if this would be his life now. He stayed in the PICU for 3 weeks. Once we chose a cancer battle plan of proton radiation and chemo he was transferred to Mayo of Rochester. Miraculously he seemed to "wake up" from PFS 4 weeks after the surgery (he all-of-a-sudden started asking my husband what the score of the game was and which team was which on the tv). We were so thankful. 

He ended up doing 30 rounds of proton beam radiation and 30 rounds of chemotherapy along with 6 months of maintenance chemo. He's been cancer free since April 26, 2019. His body was ravaged and he is still battling side effects and late effects from treatment but we're grateful it wasn't worse. After 1.5 years of missed school he's back with his class and doing well. 

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If you would like to make a donation by mail please send a check to:  The Cure Starts Now Foundation; 10280 Chester Road; Cincinnati, OH 45215 and put the child's name in the memo.

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