Charlie’s Story
On July 14, Charlie went for an MRI to possibly diagnose migraines. He had had a couple of isolated headaches that had woken him up and made him sick. Nothing overly concerning but out of character and needed to be checked. While at that appointment the technician noticed a mass concerning enough to reach out to the doctors immediately. Charlie's parents had to speak with their pediatrician over the phone from the office, were told there was a mass on Charlie’s brain and that they were being rushed from the radiology office via ambulance to the Children’s ER. It wasn’t until Charlie's parents met the neurosurgeon that they got to see the MRI and learned that the mass in Charlie’s head was quite large, later described as the size of a baseball. It was compressing his brain and needed to come out as soon as possible. The doctors went over all the risks associated with the surgery and prepared them that Charlie may need a lot of time and support to recover from the surgery.
From the ER, Charlie was admitted to the PICU still feeling fine and not showing any symptoms of having a brain tumor. On July 15 at 3:30 pm, Charlie was taken in for a more detailed MRI of his head and spine and then moved directly to surgery where the tumor was removed. The surgery was successful and he was brought back to his room around 10:30 pm. Within 2 hours of returning from his surgery, he was alert, asking to eat and chatting with the nurse. Although he had a lot of swelling and a large incision from the surgery, he never complained of any pain and continued to feel good. He was communicating clearly, eating regularly and was able to walk unaided. It was amazing to see how well he came through surgery! His recovery was nothing less than remarkable and he was able to return home just three days post-surgery.
Since his stay at the hospital, Charlie is being cared for by a team of hematology-oncology doctors. They have been wonderful. The doctors are very pleased that he continues to heal well from surgery and that he remains asymptomatic. After the tumor was removed it was sent for pathology. Although we had prayed that the tumor was benign it unfortunately was not. Pathology has confirmed that his tumor is an aggressive form of cancer. For his particular tumor type, treatment is radiation therapy and regular MRI scans to check for recurrence. He will begin just over 6 weeks of daily radiation at the end of this month.
As a result, Stephanie and Ryan (Charlie's parents) will need to take time away from work to be with Charlie during his treatments. This fund is being used to help Charlie's parents with the medical and household expenses that will occur as he goes through his cancer treatments. We would like to ease their worry and allow them to focus on supporting Charlie through this difficult process.
Stephanie is a seasoned teacher in the Bridgewater-Raritan Schools and has helped many students and families over the years. We ask that you consider donating to Charlie's cancer recovery fund to help this deserving family get the support they need at this difficult time.
Although there have been a lot of ups and downs over the last few weeks, we are holding onto the positives when we have them. We pray for Charlie to have a future that is cancer free. Thank you for your prayers and support!
WAYS TO HELP:
Click here for updates and a direct fundraising link for the family.