Help Thayne Conquer Cancer

The little cutie you are looking at in the picture is none other than Mr. Thayne Bruce Carrasquillo, our devilishly handsome baby boy.   He is the most adorable two-year-old bachelor to hit the Cancer Fighting scene in years!  He needs your help to overcome his battle with Neuroblastoma that has metastasized to the bone.   This devastating news came at the beginning of July, and our lives will never be the same.

We are asking that all who are willing, donate to help Thayne in his fight against cancer.  All donations will go towards expenses associated with Thayne's medical treatment and care and necessary family expenses. While Fernando will maintain his First Sergeant duties at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Thayne and his mom, TJ have relocated to Fort Worth, Texas to be closer to Cook Children's Medical Center.  Thayne faces eighteen months of intensive chemotherapy, and every thought and prayer, and each dollar or dime are welcome and much appreciated!

To learn more about our precious little man and his fight against cancer, please keep reading.

Our journey began a year ago in 2017 when our little guy at the tender age of one, our miniature superman Thayne, began experiencing spasms in his legs that would send him into what can only be described as paralysis from the waist down.  The pain he experienced during these episodes was more than any parent should ever have to face, and we immediately took him to the emergency room.  Despite our every effort and continued trips to the pediatrician and ER, the doctors were unable to give us any helpful or definitive answers as to what was happening to our little boy. 



During the following months, we noticed that our son was experiencing more severe symptoms: uncontrollable twitching of his eyes, jerking of his legs, an inability to sleep, and loss of his balance to the extent that he could not walk or stand without support. He even lost his ability to speak. With each trip to the hospital we prayed for an answer; some way that we could help our son, but it was not until we took our son to the doctors at Cook Children's Medical Center that we were finally able to get answers and a course of treatment. 

The doctors, through numerous tests and procedures, identified that Thayne suffered from Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome (OMS); a type of neurological disorder associated with Neuroblastoma that effects only one in a million.   At the time, the doctors told us that the cancer was low risk, but Thayne would need to be monitored on a regular basis due to the rarity of the condition.  Since his initial diagnosis, our son has had a resection of his left adrenal gland, and been on a regimen of steroids, IVIG treatments (antibody infusions), and Rituxan.

To our great relief, in just a few weeks’ time, our happy, exuberant munchkin was once more running and playing in full force thanks to the medical interventions of the doctors at Cook Children's Medical Center.



With our young man back to his usual taunts and play, we prayed for the best, and with each visit to the doctors' office, we became more hopeful that he would be free of cancer and would regain his full strength and health. Month after month, Thayne's scans came back clean; no cancer growth or relapse.  We finally felt like our troubles had subsided.

Then, this July, our world came crashing down on us with more force than we ever could have imagined when, during our routine scan, the doctors discovered a new tumor in Thayne's abdomen.  They immediately scheduled a CT Scan, an MIGB Scan, and a PET Scan to confirm what was going on his little body.



Trying to stay positive, we prayed that all would be well, and that the tumor on the scan was just a benign anomaly. However, after looking at the follow-up scans, the cancer specialists confirmed the existence of a new tumor and that Thayne's Neuroblastoma had metastasized into his bones. 

Much to our distress and devastation, we had to come to grips with the news that our precious, tenacious two-year-old little man had cancer running rampant throughout his little body. 

How could this be happening? How could the cancer have spread that fast?  Questions came bubbling to the surface with feelings of anger, fear, hurt, helplessness, and frustration. No matter how many questions we had, the doctors said we had to move fast and aggressively attack the cancer that was growing in our child's miniature body.



We officially started Thayne's battle against cancer July 12, 2018, and since that time, we have successfully completed a second surgery where the surgeon removed the tumor (it had grown from the size of a pea to the size of a marble in just 7 days). Our little superhero now courageously "sports" a port in his chest and has successfully made it through his first round of chemotherapy. Thayne's continued treatment will include four more courses of chemo, stem-cell retrieval, two bone marrow transplants, radiation and immunotherapy, and MIBG radiation therapy. Given the rarity of his condition, he will also participate in a clinical trial that we hope will be beneficial to him and other children that might share this painful journey. 

Although this is just the beginning of our 18+ month battle against cancer, we are staying hopeful and positive; we know our  Tenacious little Titan can Conquer Cancer!  And despite the hardships we face, we have faith that God will keep our family close to his heart and under his watchful eyes.

 With thoughts and prayers for all.

Sincerely,

The Carrasquillo Family
           -Fernando, TJ, and Thayne Bruce


SMASH CANCER!