In December 2020, I took my 9-year-old son for his yearly physical. We had no concerns — he was healthy, active, and full of energy. I expected the appointment to be quick, maybe 30 or 45 minutes at most.
As part of the visit, the nurse checked his hearing. To our surprise, he didn’t respond to sounds in his left ear. We laughed about it, joking with the doctor, “Oh, that’s why you never listen to me!” I assumed it was something minor — maybe an ear infection or a little water trapped inside.
But our pediatrician recommended that we see an ENT just to be safe. A few days later, we met with the specialist. After running a few tests, the ENT delivered shocking news: my son was completely deaf in his left ear. Then, without much explanation, he started talking about cochlear implants.
I wasn’t ready for that conversation. I needed to know why my son had suddenly lost hearing in one ear. The ENT didn’t seem to take my concerns seriously, so I called our pediatrician and insisted on an MRI. Thankfully, our doctor listened and ordered one right away. It was New Year’s Eve 2020 when my son went in for the scan.
On the drive home, my phone rang. It was our pediatrician asking us to come in immediately for the results. My heart sank — I knew something was very wrong. When we arrived, the doctor showed us the MRI: a large brain tumor with fluid around it. Everything after that moved at lightning speed. We were sent straight to Duke Hospital, where my son underwent emergency brain surgery that same day.
The operation lasted eight long hours. The surgeons were able to remove about 90% of the tumor, but the remaining 10% was too close to the brain stem to remove safely. We were grateful he had made it through surgery, but we also knew the journey wasn’t over.
Six weeks later, we went back for a follow-up MRI. We prayed it would show improvement — but instead, the tumor had already started to grow back. Our world collapsed all over again. My son immediately began a year of intense chemotherapy. It was the hardest year of our lives — filled with hospital stays, side effects, and endless worry.
But through it all, he stayed strong. And today, three years later, his scans have remained stable. He is thriving, happy, and full of life.
I share this story because that routine physical — something we almost took for granted — ultimately saved my son’s life. Our pediatrician’s thoroughness, the MRI, and the incredible team of surgeons at Duke gave us a second chance.
Please, take your children to their yearly checkups, even if they seem perfectly healthy. You never know what might be happening beneath the surface. That one appointment changed everything for us — and it could save another child’s life too.
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