Our son Ashton is five years old, and he is full of sweetness, curiosity, and heart. He loves dinosaurs, Mario (Yoshi is his favorite), Paw Patrol, Bluey — and more than anything, his beloved stuffies. Even at his age, Ashton is incredibly bright and loves figuring out puzzles and building things. He has a tender love for animals and shares his world with mom Stephanie, dad Jason, his big brother Aedan (7), two dogs — Sadie and Ash — and two cats, Asmo and Loki.

What makes Ashton truly special is his kindness. He is always polite, always thoughtful, and even at five he has a natural instinct to help others. If someone is upset, Ashton is the first one to run over with a hug or a gentle hand on their shoulder. His compassion shines in everything he does.

This past summer, our world changed when Ashton experienced a sudden seizure that took us to the emergency room. A scan led to a transfer to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where we learned there was a mass in his brain. The doctors were fairly certain from the beginning that it was cancer. Ashton had another seizure in the ER and was admitted to the PICU. The next day we met with neurologists, neurosurgeons, and the neuro-oncology teams — an overwhelming blur of information and decisions no parent is prepared to face.

Further scans were completed, and surgery was scheduled for the following week. On July 1, Jason and I spent the longest day of our lives in the surgical waiting room. The surgeon was able to remove the majority of the tumor and even went back after the MRI to take an additional small section of disease. Thanks to an incredible team, Ashton achieved a gross total resection — all visible tumor was successfully removed.

After surgery, Ashton had about six weeks of recovery before beginning 30 sessions of radiation — not only to the surgical site, but full craniospinal radiation to target any microscopic disease that might remain. This phase was incredibly difficult. Ashton had been so excited to start kindergarten, but he could only attend part-time as fatigue and side effects increased.

Emotionally, this season stretched every member of our family. Ashton bravely learned to endure painful procedures like port access. His brother Aedan struggled to understand why life suddenly felt different. Jason and I balanced work, parenting, and daily hospital trips while trying to stay grounded for both our boys.

Ashton completed radiation on September 25, 2025, followed by another six-week rest period before starting chemotherapy. As I write this, he has just finished his third cycle, with three more rounds planned — treatments that will carry us through the end of April 2026.

Through all of this, Ashton remains gentle, resilient, and loving. He is still the boy who hugs others first, still the boy who lights up when he sees a dinosaur or Mario figure, still our compassionate little warrior — fighting with courage and a heart far bigger than his years.

Thank you for choosing to donate to The Cure Starts Now Foundation. 100% of this donation, after credit card processing fees, goes directly towards research to find the homerun cure for cancer starting with pediatric brain cancer research.

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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