- F
- J
- B
Meet my little nephew Jaxson, he finally graced us with is presence, June 13, 2014. He was born 12 days past his due date and our family was very anxious to meet the newest addition. He is the seventh boy to join our family in the past 5 years! My sister, Jessica, delivered him into this world, "sunny side up," weighing a whopping 10 pounds. It was amazing. No complications. He was healthy, looked exactly like his daddy and was doing great. Except one thing... for some reason there was a large bump on his tiny little nose.
Questions where circulating the room. Was it a bruise? Did he get it from being so large and hit it on my sister's pelvic bone during delivery? Was it a hematoma, a cyst, or worse... a tumor?
His doctor ordered an ultra sound right away and the results were good and bad. His results didn't show any blood vessels going to the mass which ruled out it being vascular but the bad news was that there is definitely a solid mass. Right away his doctor made an appointment for him to go down to UC Davis where he'd be seen by an Otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat specialist).
At 1 week old Jaxson had his first appointment with the Otolaryngologist. After a 5 minute examination the doctor had more troublesome news. He let my sister and Joel (Jaxson's father) know that he had a sneaky suspicion the mass was growing into Jaxson's brain. He wanted Jaxson to have an MRI and CAT Scan within the next 7 days.
Well, UC Davis is very busy and the way scheduling would have it, Jaxson was unable to get in for these scans until August 5th. So for the next month and a half our family spent our time reassuring Jessica and Joel that the mass was probably just a cyst and that Jaxson would be just fine. We watched his eyes to make sure he was tracking objects well. We worked on his fine motor skills. Every test we gave our precious little Jaxson he passed, and each passed test gave us added reassurance that it was just a cyst and nothing with tentacles like our worst nightmares.
He loved all the attention as well. He captured all our hearts with his sweet demeanor, never holding back a smile or coo. As he got older his coo's unfolded into full fledged baby stories. He is one of the happiest babies we have ever met.
August 5th came. Finally answers, but the MRI and CAT Scans came with serious risks of their own. Jaxson was only 6 weeks old and had to be put under anesthesia. The risks that came with the anesthesia was enough to give any mother and father anxiety attacks. When the scans were finally done, they were atlas able to return back to the room with little Jaxson. Everything had gone well and he was ready to eat. They waited in the recovery room thinking that the worst was almost over. They just needed the Otolaryngologist to come into the room and confirm that the mass was just a cyst and that he could easily remove it through Jaxson's nostril. They were not at all prepared for the news they were about to receive...
The Otolaryngologist brought the images up on his computer and as he was explaining to my sister and Joel, what the MRI and CAT Scans revealed, my sisters legs became weak and her arms became heavy. She couldn't stand anymore. The nurses rushed over with a chair for her to sit down. She couldn't even hear what they were trying to say to her anymore. She felt like she couldn't breathe.
The news was the worst news that could have been given, confirmed. The mass was a tumor with an extension attaching to his brain. It was called a Glioma Tumor. Glioma Tumors are made up of glial cells, which are supportive cells that help the brain cells function.
Because he had developed the tumor in the womb, it had also stopped the normal growth of the bone in his nose. He was now required to have two separate surgeries. The earliest they would be able to do the first surgery on Jaxson, would be when he turned 6 months old. For him, this would mean December 2014 and then his second surgery, they'd do a few months later.
The doctor told them that the surgery is considered major, a blood transfusion is likely and that it would also require assistance from a Neurosurgeon. The Neurosurgeon would remove the tumor from Jaxson's brain. Their appointment to meet the Neurosurgeon was September 25th. At this appointment they would have a better idea of how the doctors planned to do the surgery.
On September 25th the Neurosurgeon delivered good news and more bad news. The bad news was that Jaxson's tumor is extremely rare in the fact that it grew through his sinus cavity. There have only been 1 or 2 reported cases in the whole Northwestern Hemisphere. The good news was that although she has never seen this type of tumor, she had scrubbed in on a few that had grown from the base of the neck while interning. She was very confident about the procedure (bi-frontal craniotomy & resection of nasal glioma with intracranial extensions) and her ability to remove the tumor successfully. She did however add one more risk factor to the surgery. She said that the hardest part of the surgery she is performing, is insuring that no brain fluid is leaked while she is removing the tumor.
We have come to gofundme by recommendation. Jaxson's doctor bills are already adding up and with the surgeries being in two separate calendar years, Joel and Jessica will not be seeing any relief from them soon. Also UC Davis is 3 hours from where my sister lives. There will be fuel, food and lodging expenses added to there accumulating bills for pre opp appointments, surgery, and post opp appointments. Also remember baby Jaxson will under go two separate surgeries.
We have started a Facebook page to support Jaxson and his family. If you are able to donate anything it will be so hugely appreciated by our family. Words would never be able to show our appreciation for your generosity. If you are unable to donate, please join our Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/babyjaxsonmedicalfund
Prayers and encouragement are appreciated just as much. We will gladly relay your thoughts & prayers to Jessica and Joel if you share them on Jaxson's page.
Matthew 18:20 -For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Our Lord is with us and Jaxson. We pray that he will deliver Jaxson out of these surgeries, happy and healthy, blessing our lives even more with each day.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read about Jaxson's story.
Love Always,
Jaxson's Family
Questions where circulating the room. Was it a bruise? Did he get it from being so large and hit it on my sister's pelvic bone during delivery? Was it a hematoma, a cyst, or worse... a tumor?
His doctor ordered an ultra sound right away and the results were good and bad. His results didn't show any blood vessels going to the mass which ruled out it being vascular but the bad news was that there is definitely a solid mass. Right away his doctor made an appointment for him to go down to UC Davis where he'd be seen by an Otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat specialist).
At 1 week old Jaxson had his first appointment with the Otolaryngologist. After a 5 minute examination the doctor had more troublesome news. He let my sister and Joel (Jaxson's father) know that he had a sneaky suspicion the mass was growing into Jaxson's brain. He wanted Jaxson to have an MRI and CAT Scan within the next 7 days.
Well, UC Davis is very busy and the way scheduling would have it, Jaxson was unable to get in for these scans until August 5th. So for the next month and a half our family spent our time reassuring Jessica and Joel that the mass was probably just a cyst and that Jaxson would be just fine. We watched his eyes to make sure he was tracking objects well. We worked on his fine motor skills. Every test we gave our precious little Jaxson he passed, and each passed test gave us added reassurance that it was just a cyst and nothing with tentacles like our worst nightmares.
He loved all the attention as well. He captured all our hearts with his sweet demeanor, never holding back a smile or coo. As he got older his coo's unfolded into full fledged baby stories. He is one of the happiest babies we have ever met.
August 5th came. Finally answers, but the MRI and CAT Scans came with serious risks of their own. Jaxson was only 6 weeks old and had to be put under anesthesia. The risks that came with the anesthesia was enough to give any mother and father anxiety attacks. When the scans were finally done, they were atlas able to return back to the room with little Jaxson. Everything had gone well and he was ready to eat. They waited in the recovery room thinking that the worst was almost over. They just needed the Otolaryngologist to come into the room and confirm that the mass was just a cyst and that he could easily remove it through Jaxson's nostril. They were not at all prepared for the news they were about to receive...
The Otolaryngologist brought the images up on his computer and as he was explaining to my sister and Joel, what the MRI and CAT Scans revealed, my sisters legs became weak and her arms became heavy. She couldn't stand anymore. The nurses rushed over with a chair for her to sit down. She couldn't even hear what they were trying to say to her anymore. She felt like she couldn't breathe.
The news was the worst news that could have been given, confirmed. The mass was a tumor with an extension attaching to his brain. It was called a Glioma Tumor. Glioma Tumors are made up of glial cells, which are supportive cells that help the brain cells function.
Because he had developed the tumor in the womb, it had also stopped the normal growth of the bone in his nose. He was now required to have two separate surgeries. The earliest they would be able to do the first surgery on Jaxson, would be when he turned 6 months old. For him, this would mean December 2014 and then his second surgery, they'd do a few months later.
The doctor told them that the surgery is considered major, a blood transfusion is likely and that it would also require assistance from a Neurosurgeon. The Neurosurgeon would remove the tumor from Jaxson's brain. Their appointment to meet the Neurosurgeon was September 25th. At this appointment they would have a better idea of how the doctors planned to do the surgery.
On September 25th the Neurosurgeon delivered good news and more bad news. The bad news was that Jaxson's tumor is extremely rare in the fact that it grew through his sinus cavity. There have only been 1 or 2 reported cases in the whole Northwestern Hemisphere. The good news was that although she has never seen this type of tumor, she had scrubbed in on a few that had grown from the base of the neck while interning. She was very confident about the procedure (bi-frontal craniotomy & resection of nasal glioma with intracranial extensions) and her ability to remove the tumor successfully. She did however add one more risk factor to the surgery. She said that the hardest part of the surgery she is performing, is insuring that no brain fluid is leaked while she is removing the tumor.
We have come to gofundme by recommendation. Jaxson's doctor bills are already adding up and with the surgeries being in two separate calendar years, Joel and Jessica will not be seeing any relief from them soon. Also UC Davis is 3 hours from where my sister lives. There will be fuel, food and lodging expenses added to there accumulating bills for pre opp appointments, surgery, and post opp appointments. Also remember baby Jaxson will under go two separate surgeries.
We have started a Facebook page to support Jaxson and his family. If you are able to donate anything it will be so hugely appreciated by our family. Words would never be able to show our appreciation for your generosity. If you are unable to donate, please join our Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/babyjaxsonmedicalfund
Prayers and encouragement are appreciated just as much. We will gladly relay your thoughts & prayers to Jessica and Joel if you share them on Jaxson's page.
Matthew 18:20 -For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Our Lord is with us and Jaxson. We pray that he will deliver Jaxson out of these surgeries, happy and healthy, blessing our lives even more with each day.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read about Jaxson's story.
Love Always,
Jaxson's Family