Kanon was diagnosed with cancer two years ago.
He had about a year of headaches, nausea, and progressive weakness. His doctors worked hard to figure out what was happening. At first, imaging showed hydrocephalus and what was thought to be a benign tumor called a tectal glioma. This type of tumor was expected to be watched but not aggressively treated. However, during the second year after diagnosis, the tumor began to grow faster than expected. A recent biopsy surprised even the oncologist. Kanon was diagnosed with a high grade glioma that is not treatable. He will receive radiation to slow the tumor’s growth and extend his life. The average survival after diagnosis is fifteen months.
Because of the biopsy, Kanon has an injury to his optic nerve, which causes double vision and poor balance. He often wears an eye patch to help with this.
Kanon has had an external drain for cerebrospinal fluid, an endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) with an internal drain, and a brain stem biopsy.
This diagnosis has been devastating for the family. Kanon has an older brother and a younger sister, and they are very close. Both his mother and father are currently not working so they can stay home and care for him. Radiation treatment will begin soon, and the family is unsure how it will affect them.
Kanon is a jokester who always makes people laugh. He fist bumps everyone he meets. He loves Star Wars and video games. Before his biopsy, he enjoyed trampoline time and riding his bicycle, though he hasn’t done much of either recently.
It has only been a few days since the diagnosis. The social worker advised the family to wait and bring everyone together at Dornbecker to talk about it. The family hopes to capture moments of joy before grief takes hold.
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