Help Henry During His Brain Tumor Battle & Chemo
Just before Christmas, Henry’s mom, Leah, noticed he was having some unsteady eye movements. After many doctor’s appointments and an MRI, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor on January 27, 2023. At just 6 months old, Henry had brain surgery (a craniotomy) at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago on Wednesday, February 1 to remove the 4 cm x 4 cm x 4 cm tumor. At this time, Henry is still in the PICU recovering, and will need to remain there for at least 2 weeks post-surgery. During this time, Leah’s family has come together to make sure her daughter, Charlotte, is cared for so that Leah can be with Henry in the PICU. (Meanwhile, all the nurses and doctors have fallen in love with Henry, and who can blame them with his ever-charming smile and endless joy.)
The neurosurgeon was able to remove upwards of 95% of the tumor, and what remains is located near the optic nerves and pituitary gland. While the surgery was successful, there are still many unanswered questions as to how the remaining tumor will affect those things and if there will be any lasting effects from such a major surgery, like loss of vision and pituitary function.
Recovery so far has been a rollercoaster, and the path forward in his care beyond recovery is yet to be determined since there are still so many unanswered questions and we just don’t know how the rest of the tumor will behave. What we do know is that Henry’s care will require repeat scans, many tests, and countless doctor’s appointments. Full recovery will be a marathon.
Unfortunately, Leah used all of her FMLA and almost all of her PTO while on maternity leave with Henry, and she is ineligible for more until October. She has been approved for a leave of absence from work to get through the initial part of this recovery, though her job is not legally secure through this leave. A lack of job security and the mounting medical expenses lead to a very uncertain financial situation for Leah, especially being a recently single mom. Leah was born to be a mom, and she has remained indescribably strong for her sweet boy throughout this entire journey. Between her absolute devotion to her kids and being a nurse, there is no better person to care for Henry during this crisis.
As difficult as it is to ask for help, we feel we need to to allow for Leah to give Henry the care he needs, to save her, Henry, and Charlotte from financial despair, and to keep a roof over their heads. Leah hates having to ask for help, but it is truly what’s best, both for Henry’s care and the whole family’s stability. We would be eternally grateful for any amount of donation. If you would prefer to send Leah money directly, her Venmo is @Leah-Ryan-6. We are also so grateful and appreciative of all your prayers, support and words of hope and encouragement for this sweet family – we are truly blessed by all of you.
