In August of 2021, Everest was brought to his pediatrician for a concerning lump that had appeared on his right forehead. The small lump did not raise much concern. As a precaution, an ultrasound was ordered. By the end of August, the lump minimized in shape and was seen to be nothing more than a bump to the head. With comfort in knowing the lump had minimized, we canceled the ultrasound.

By mid November, the lump had returned and doubled in size. We called back our pediatrician with concern, and agreed to reschedule the ultrasound. On December 29th, we went to the scheduled imaging and left knowing that it seemed nothing more than a hematoma.

On December 30th, Everest was called back for another ultrasound because the radiologist needed more images. After the tech completed the scan, she stepped out and told us to wait as she checked with the radiologist. To our surprise, both the tech and the radiologist entered the room. The radiologist asked if it was okay to take a look for himself with the ultrasound.

During the scan, he became concerned and began asking about any falls or bruises. We had no explanation as to what caused the lump. Eventually, he explained that Everest looked like he fractured his skull, and he continued to ask about any falls that stood out. With no explanation his next wish was to perform a CT scan.

Our pediatrician reached out personally and asked, with our permission, if it was okay to refer us to a specialist at UVM Medical Center. We agreed through concerning tearful eyes that the best care for our son was two hours away.

The holidays left us with a painful five day wait knowing our son had a possible fractured skull. It was even more heart wrenching knowing that our baby had a fracture and not one sign caused enough panic to bring him to the ER other than a unexplained lump.

During our two hour trip, we looked forward to going to a special lunch because Everest couldn’t eat after midnight the day before. Everest had to be sedated for the CT scan. Tears came to our eyes as we watched him scream over getting the IV.

We waited for the scan to be over. We waited with glistening tears and hopes that the prior radiologist was wrong. Once that waiting room door opened and a Neurosurgeon stepped in....

Our lives were forever changed.....

Our baby went on to have an MRI, was admitted overnight, and scheduled the following morning to remove the tumor. His surgery was great success completely removing the tumor and repairing his skull.

However, only hours after his surgery an Oncologist, specializing in pediatrics, walked in and broke our hearts once more.

In the course of two days, we went from being told that our son had a tumor, to needing immediate surgery, to having cancer.

Everest was diagnosed with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH). A rare cancer that is primarily found in young children. Multiple systems of the body can be affected by LCH causing mild rashes, tumors found on the bone, or liver failure depending on where LCH is found. As of today, Everest has the more mild form of this cancer, which is not diagnosed in stages. With chemotherapy, Everest is planning to make a full recovery.

Everest will not be celebrating his second birthday with friends and family, but with chemotherapy treatment, as well as, the fear of catching the common cold.

He will spend his next year of life receiving chemotherapy weekly, and being separated from his peers.

He is set to spend over 200 hours just in car rides... Hours that toddlers value to learn, play, and grow.

..............Our hearts break for him.

We are reaching out for donations in Everest's name to go towards his year long journey towards recovery.

We also ask for kind words and thoughts to help keep us strong during this time.

We know he can do this. He is our hero, he is our Avenger.

With gratitude,

Everest the Avenger's family

#EverestTheAvenger