Greysen

Greyson Hitchens 5 Years old
Diagnosis: an inoperable brain tumor

Story: In 2010, Greysen was diagnosed with a form of epilepsy and was referred to AI DuPont Children's Hospital where Dr's discovered a mass deep in the cerebellum. Over the course of this past year we have gone for frequent MRI's to monitor the growth of this tumor. When the tumor began to grow we chose to proceed with surgery to remove it. So on July 21, 2011 Greysen went into surgery. His recovery amazed us. Our first followup scan was scheduled for October 4, 2011. The news was not what we had expected. Greysen's neurosurgeon informed us that not only had the tumor regrown, but it was nearing the size of the pre-surgery scans. The tumor is (DIFFUSE)meaning it is an infiltrating tumor, invading the surround healthy brain tissue and nerves, rending it inoperable. Greysen's case was presented to the Tumor Board at AI Dupont Children's Hospital where a team of Dr's decided that moving forward with radiation may do more harm than good. Greysen's brain is still rapidly developing and exposing him to radiation may bring about neurological deficits prematurely. On November 9, 2011 we visited John's Hopkins in Baltimore, MD to see world renowned pediatric neurosurgeon, Dr. Ben Carson. After careful review of Greysen's scans he agreed with the findings of Dr. Piatt of AI DuPont., the tumor in Greysen's brain cannot be removed through surgery. Unfortunately, the tumor involved the deep nuclei of the cerebellum which is the center for all physical abilities and disturbing this portion of his brain is not an option. With surgery and radiation both ruled out, chemotherapy seems to be our next course of action. This would require a port to be placed in Greysen's chest. We would make a weekly trip to Wilmington where Greysen would receive a six hour chemo infusion. Currently the plan would require treatment once a week for an entire year, but could vary depending on how the tumor responds to the treatment. WHAT HE LIKES: ANYTHING Mario and Luigi! Grey loves to color so art supplies make him smile. Grey is a cuddle bug so he loves his "lovies"... stuffed animals, blankets... the boy loves soft! Follow on Facebook



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