Aiden is a laidback, fun loving, jokester. He is so kind hearted without a mean bone in his body. He started jujitsu a few months ago to build his self-confidence and he loves it. He is also a twin and has a fantastic relationship with his twin brother.
We believe he may have had his tumor in utero, but doctors are unable to confirm this. He cried a lot since birth. In the beginning, they told me it was colic, then teething. At nine months, he was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma after he lost movement in his legs. The tumor was compressing his spine and was wrapped around the upper part of his spine. He could have become a quadriplegic. He was given a 20% prognosis and it was in ICU. After a lot of treatment, Aiden slowly got better.
Aiden suffers daily with learning issues. His working memory is poor, he is unable to read, and has a speech delay. Aiden suffered a lot of trauma due to his treatment and was non-verbal at 3. As a result, he is developmentally delayed. He is currently in 2nd grade and deals with great frustration on a daily basis, because he wants to read so badly. It breaks our hearts.
Aiden is now a 5 year survivor! But we constantly worry about relapse. As a parent, I definitely experienced PTSD symptoms for a few years. We are in a better place now, but still deal with anxiety, depression and occasional nightmares. We are so proud of Aiden. We couldn’t imagine our life without him.
Hope session by Photography by Jacequelynn | Facebook