Rhoenan is a loving, smart, goofy, talkative and energetic 6 year old, youngest in his family. He loves life and enjoys going to school (even though he was stuck doing distance learning for kindergarten). He is the type of person that will brighten up a room everywhere he goes and will be sure to put a smile on everyone’s face!

On Tuesday August 17, 2021 that’s when Rhoenan’s life changed forever. He was diagnosed with DIPG (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma) which is an aggressive form of childhood brain cancer, approximately 300 children gets diagnosed each year in the US. Tumors form at the brain stem, which is an integral part of the body that controls vision, motor skills, breathing, and more. The tumors grow quickly, amplifying the extremely painful symptoms in young children.

According to the St. Jude’s website, here are the most common symptoms of DIPG:

- Problems with balance and walking
- Problems with the eyes (including double vision, drooping eyelids, uncontrolled eye movements, blurred vision)
- Problems with chewing and swallowing
- Nausea and vomiting
- Morning headache or headache that gets better after the child vomits
- Facial weakness or drooping (usually one side)

Since the location of this tumor is on the brain stem, surgery is not an option. There is a 10-20% chance of the tumor being cured after treatment. He will begin the treatment starting with 6 weeks of radiation (5 days a week for 15-20 mins each time) and go from there. Due to the side affects after radiation he will not be able to attend the beginning of this school year to start 1st grade until the doctors can see how his body will react to the treatments. This is the beginning of a long battle for my nephew and his family. 

A CaringBridge Site was created for Rhoenan. It‘s a caring social network to help people stay connected with family and friends during a health event.

Visit Rhoenan's Site: https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/rhoenantep

Site Name: rhoenantep

Please donate and/or share this story on social media to bring awareness about DIPG. Any donations will be greatly appreciated to help my sister and brother-in-law with any financial expenses incurred since the diagnosis. Thank you in advance.