On January 13, 2022, we took our 7-year-old son Andrew Lovell for his routine eye exam. The doctors noticed Andrew had brain swelling while performing his retinal exam. They told us to immediately take Andrew to an emergency room and see a Neurologist. The Valley Children's Hospital doctors performed an MRI and found a large brain tumor the size of a plum inside Andrew's brain. Andrew was rushed into brain surgery within 24 hours to start removing the brain tumor. Luckily, after three long surgeries, the doctors resected the entire tumor successfully. Now we had to wait for the final pathology to determine the exact type of brain tumor. The final pathology confirmed it was a Germ Cell Tumor containing Pure Germinoma, which responds well to treatment. Germinoma is a Grade 2 cancer.

 

We followed the treatment plan described by the Children's Oncology Group of four cycles of chemotherapy followed by six consecutive weeks of Radiation. I am happy to announce Andrew has completed all four cycles of Chemotherapy and six weeks of Proton Therapy Radiation in San Diego. We have currently received two clear scans post-treatment. The costs of medical care and has put a tremendous unexpected financial strain on our family, and all the funds raised will go directly to the medical expenses.