Ever is the smiley-est baby we have ever met! Even his oncology team agrees. He has a single tooth he likes to show off with the largest grin on any occasion he gets!
Ever started having unequal pupils and a droopy eyelid. An MRI, ordered by the ophthalmologist, found a large abdominal tumor that was secreting antibodies and attacking the nerves of his eye. We met with the oncology team and followed the tumor for a couple of months with ultrasounds, but it grew rapidly. Ever had open abdominal surgery to remove the tumor. He had severe intraabdominal bleeding from the tumor and was admitted to the PICU. Although the surgery was hoped to be curative, in March we found progressive cancer in his abdomen again and we started chemo.
The chemo tires him out and makes him nauseous, but he is still doing everything a 9-month-old should! He grins and laughs at everything, wants to eat anything he can get his hands-on, and is trying to learn to crawl to chase his sister and the dog. He also has lost most of his hair, but keeping a little peach fuzz right on top!
We have struggled financially due to the high cost of treatment and being on a single pediatric resident salary. I (his dad) am a pediatric emergency medicine fellow so know both the medical side and the family side and it has been challenging and at times traumatic to work in the same hospital Ever gets his treatments. Our 5-year-old (and both parents) have also struggled with how to manage our worries for our little guy!
Hope session by Parisa Mae Photography | Instagram