In December 2020, I took my 9-year-old son for his yearly physical. We had no concerns at all — he was healthy, active, and full of energy. We honestly expected to be in and out in less than 45 minutes. During the visit, they did the usual checks — height, weight, eyes, and hearing. When they tested his hearing, they noticed something unusual. He wasn’t responding to sounds in his left ear.
We laughed it off at first. I even joked with the doctor, saying, “Oh, that’s why you don’t listen to me!” I thought maybe it was just an ear infection or some water stuck inside. The doctor suggested we see an ENT specialist, just to be safe.
A few days later, we went to the ENT. After some tests, he looked at me and said that my son was completely deaf in his left ear and would need a cochlear implant. My heart sank. I asked him to slow down — I wasn’t ready to talk about implants before knowing why he suddenly lost his hearing. The ENT didn’t seem to take my concerns seriously, and that didn’t sit right with me.
So, I called our pediatrician and insisted on getting an MRI. Thankfully, she listened. On New Year’s Eve 2020, we were able to get a same-day MRI.
On the way home, my phone rang. It was our pediatrician, and her voice was serious. She told me to come in immediately for the results. My stomach dropped — I knew something was terribly wrong.
When we arrived, she told us that the MRI had revealed a large brain tumor, surrounded by fluid. Everything after that felt like a blur. Within hours, we were at Duke Hospital, and my son was being prepped for emergency surgery.
The surgery lasted 8 long hours. The neurosurgeon was able to remove about 90% of the tumor, but the remaining 10% was too close to his brain stem to safely remove. We were grateful he made it through surgery, but our journey was far from over.
Six weeks later, we went back for a follow-up MRI to see how he was healing. I’ll never forget the moment we heard the news — the tumor had already grown back. Our hearts broke all over again.
We started chemotherapy immediately. My son went through a full year of intense treatment — hospital stays, medications, side effects, and countless moments of fear. But through it all, he stayed incredibly brave.
Today, he has been stable for three years. Every scan brings a wave of anxiety, but also hope. His next routine MRI is coming up next month, and we’re praying it shows that the tumor is still stable.
I’m sharing our story to remind other parents — never skip your child’s yearly checkup, even if they seem perfectly healthy. That one appointment, and the doctors who listened, truly saved my son’s life.
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