Ethan Battogtokh 's ATRT cancer

This is Ethan.  He  is a happy and energetic 16 month old boy who is a big brother to an adorable 7 week old girl, Hazel.

Ethan started getting sick 3 weeks before Hazel arrived.  He started throwing up with no other symptoms such as fever or coughing.  
As soon as it started we took him to the Doctors to get it checked.  Doctor said he has stomach flu and told us to wait 6 to 8 weeks.  We waited and the symptoms remained the same.
 We went to the Doctor again and again with the same answer- stomach flu.
He was throwing up a lot, at least once a day.  We were hoping Ethan would get better before Hazel arrived but things got worse  and worse as he continued throwing up and losing energy, becoming weaker by the day.

We welcomed our daughter Hazel as we worried about Ethan and why he wasn't getting any better. 

Almost 8 weeks after it started we went to the ER as a family friend suggested there might be something wrong with his brain.  It is the same hospital, where we welcomed Hazel 5 weeks earlier, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital.  There, he had an MRI and they found the tumor. The tumor was blocking the spinal fluid from draining properly. 

It was a day after the Mother's Day, and we got the worst news any mother or father could get. 

Right away doctors started planning a surgery to remove his tumor.   He had an exterior ventricular drain put in, to remove all that extra fluid and then that same week he had the surgery to remove the tumor.  

As we cared for Ethan after surgery, doctors sent the sample to the laboratory.  The biopsy came back and the tumor turned out to be malignant.  Ethan is diagnosed with AT/RT , rare brain cancer in children.  

Doctors at UCSF are still working on the treatment plan, but we know it is going to be a long treatment of chemotherapy and radiation treatment combined.  It is going to take years of hospital stays, painful treatments and long recoveries.

But, we believe  that Ethan will fight and win his fight against the cancer.

As we care for Ethan and his newborn sister, unable to work or do anything else, we ask for your support. 

We appreciate all your help and support . 


Sincerey,
Battogtokh family