A Son, A Love, A Light, A Bjorn

My name is Amiee, and i have these amazing friends with a beautiful son who could use some love and support as they head into a very unexpected journey. Meet 2 year old Bjorn Peterson of Bemidji MN(see photos!).   Up until earlier this month Bjorn was living a normal, happy,  energetic 2 year old life with Mother Abigail Courtney, Dad Casey Peterson and big brother Zarek Roland. After multiple trips to the clinic/urgent care here in Bemidji for what was thought to be a stomach bug, Bjorn was finally admitted for dehydration. That night he became Bradycardic,unresponsive, and had a siezure. Nurses were able to stabilize him, however, he was still unresposive, so they did a CT scan. Dr. Micah Treuher of Sanford Bemidji came to them fairly certain that what he saw in the scan was a tumor,so Abigail and Bjorn were flown over to the hospital in Fargo ND immediatly to get Bjorn into surgery to remove the tumor. The surgery to remove the tumor was a success. While Casey and Abigail waited for Pathology, Bjorn seemed to start the healing process from surgery  fairly well. He had a drain tube placed in his head to relieve fluid build up and had also had a breathing tube for a short period. Both were able to be removed about a week or so after his surgery. Unfortunately after a short period without the drain, fluid built up on his brain and needed the tube replaced to relieve it.  Pathology finally came back and the biopsy showed that little Bjorn has Atypical Terazoid Rhabdoid Tumor, or ATRT. ATRT is a RARE, fast growing brain cancer that only presents in less than 10 children with brain tumors in the United States yearly.  Casey, Abigail, and little Bjorn have been at the hospital in Fargo since June 8th, and will remain there for the next couple of weeks to get Bjorn ready for the next chapter in this battle, which is the treatment process. For that they will be planning with the Mayo Clinic, and in conjunction with St. Jude's Children's Hospital.  The treatment for this cancer will include 2 cycles of chemotherapy, with stem cells collected in between cycles, radiation, and bone marrow transplantation. There may be a clinical trial he will qualify for, but at this time it is unknown.  Please consider a donation to this amazing little boy and his wonderful family. Funds will be used towards medical, travel, and living expenses throughout this battle as it will be a long, hard journey through this. Please also send out positive thoughts towards this family, for those of you who pray, please pray for them. Love and support, are greatly needed during this time!  The funds will be deposited directly to Casey's account, as they will be spending much of their time at the hospital with Bjorn!            As things progress i will post udates on Bjorn's journey. Thank you for your time and consideration! Baby Bear gettin in some snuggles with Daddy! chillin with Grover and Elmo makin sure Mama's there