Sean was six years old when his parents noticed he was becoming increasingly uncoordinated. He was stumbling and falling, even more than the normal six-year-old silliness. And then, when the headaches started, Rich and Kelly Anderson became progressively more concerned for their son. The pediatrician immediately ordered a CAT scan and the diagnosis was almost immediate. Their precious child had a tumor, just above the brain stem in the fourth ventricle of his brain.
Sean was sent to UCLA for surgery where they operated on him and were able to remove the entire tumor. While they were in the hospital they met Chris and Sue Hoefflin of the Michael Hoefflin Foundation who brought them a Kare Kit™. “It was like a miracle,” remembers Rich. “We had been at the hospital for four or five days by then, changing in a little closet. They brought us a bag with all the things we needed. We felt an immediate connection to the Hoefflins because their son had suffered from the same cancer as Sean.”
Sean suffered through chemotherapy and radiation for a little over a year after his surgery and then slowly started to put his life back together. His balance was affected by the treatments, but before long he had re-learned to run and ride his bike. He played sports with his friends – basketball and flag football – and was soon just one of the guys. There were a few after-effects of the treatment. Sometimes it was difficult to remember long lists of instructions, he had some hearing loss to contend with and, because the radiation had affected his pituitary gland and his thyroid, he took growth hormones and thyroid medication. Overall, though, there was little reminder of that terrible year.
At the beginning of Sean’s seventh-grade year, he started to have problems with slurred speech and to stumble at odd times. Both Rich and Kelly were sure that the shunt that had been placed in Sean’s skull to assist with drainage had become blocked and the resulting pressure was creating these symptoms. This was an unfortunate, but not alarming, side affect of brain surgery, and Rich and Kelly had been forewarned to be on the lookout for signs of blockage when Sean had had the initial surgery. Sean was quickly sent in for an MRI, but the results were frightening. His brain had been invaded by another tumor. This was not a reoccurrence of the first cancer, that cancer was gone. This was an entirely new cancer, most likely caused by the very treatments that had saved Sean’s life when he was six. His parents were devastated.
Sean was immediately admitted again for surgery and Chris Hoefflin was there at the hospital with them while they waited for the outcome. The doctor was able to remove all the visible signs of tumor, but this cancer was different. This new tumor did not form with clean edges and the doctor was not able to see some of the cancerous tissue that had hidden amongst the healthy brain cells. The tumor returned soon after surgery and the doctors had no choice. Although Sean had already received his maximum lifetime radiation, they had to treat the new tumor with radiation to stop its growth. Once again Sean was suffering through the rounds of radiation and chemotherapy.
Sean has now completed his last round of radiation. He has faced the terrible treatments with a little-boy bravery that has left his father in awe of his depth of character. He quietly carries on through the treatments, doing what needs to be done without complaint. Not even his doctors know what Sean faces next. His case is so unique that almost everything they do is new and untried. Each day is a miracle.
At this point, Sean is focusing on the future – looking beyond his current chemotherapy treatments. He wants to return to his schoolwork and feel well enough to hang with his buddies like all the other seventh-grade boys. Knowing Sean, he will approach this goal like he has approach everything else – with strength and tenacity.