Help Waylon Wade Battle Stage 4 Brain Cancer

Hey Friends! A local Kenosha family needs our support! My name is Kristan Pruett and I have the privilege of working with Renee for over 5 years. Renee, Robert, and the boys (Arlyn-7 and Waylon-3) are like family to us. Our boys are also close in age and are in the same preschool class! Renee and Robert are amazing, hard-working people, incredible parents, avid hunters and love to take their family on any adventure that has them enjoying the outdoors. They have just been given some of the worst news any parent can receive and we continue to look for ways to help them while they navigate the long, challenging journey ahead. Waylon, their sweet and sassy, blonde-haired, cute as a button, 3-year-old, was diagnosed with Stage 4 Brain Cancer (Group 3 Medulloblastoma). The most aggressive and challenging to treat of the multiple groups of this type of cancer.

WAYLON’S STORY:

In early December 2024, Waylon’s brother, Arlyn, had the flu that included vomiting for about two weeks. Waylon started having the same symptoms shortly before Christmas, and everyone assumed he had the same flu. However, his symptoms persisted, prompting his parents to take him to urgent care in early January 2025. Over the next six weeks, Waylon was seen by eight doctors, including multiple urgent care providers, his primary care doctor, and his eye doctor.

Waylon experienced intermittent vomiting for about a month and a half. At one point, he seemed slightly off balance for a day but appeared fine the next. His primary care doctor eventually referred us to a GI specialist.

Meanwhile, Arlyn had been struggling to see in school, so a visit to Emer Eye Care in Kenosha for an evaluation was scheduled for him. Since Waylon would be with him, his mom called ahead to see if they could also check his eyes, and they agreed. During the visit, the team offered an optional fundus scan, which was not covered by insurance. This is the scan that likely saved Waylon’s life.

When Dr. Emer reviewed Waylon’s scan, he knew something was wrong. He immediately sent the images to Children’s Hospital for a second opinion. While we waited in his office, we received word that the hospital wanted to see Waylon in Milwaukee immediately.

Upon arrival at the ER, Waylon was triaged quickly. A neurologist examined him, asking him to perform simple coordination tasks such as reaching for her finger, touching his nose, throwing a ball, kicking a ball, and running down the hallway. She noted that he looked great but, after reviewing his eye scans, recommended a CT scan as a precaution.

The CT scan revealed a large posterior fossa brain tumor. Waylon was admitted to the hospital immediately. The next day, he underwent surgery to place an External Ventricular Drain (EVD) to relieve the pressure caused by excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The tumor’s placement had blocked the normal flow of CSF to the nervous system. Over the following week, Waylon underwent multiple tests, MRIs, and evaluations. The neurology team prepared his family for the worst-case scenarios—never walking again, requiring a breathing or feeding tube, losing movement on one side of his face, having to stop surgery partially through the tumor removal if his body couldn’t handle it, etc.

On February 10th, Waylon went into surgery to remove the ping pong ball-sized tumor. The surgery was expected to last 8-12 hours. Fortunately, the surgical team was able to remove the entire tumor in just over 6 hours.

Post-surgery, Waylon struggled with low sodium levels, which are crucial for brain healing. He also experienced weakness and coordination issues, especially in his right knee and leg. This led to an extended stay in the ICU, totaling 5 days.

After his ICU stay, he was transferred back to the neurology floor. He worked daily with physical and occupational therapists to help with his weakness and coordination issues. During this time, his fluid drain (EVD) was clamped and able to be removed after a few days of observation. Waylon was finally discharged after 17 days in Children’s Hospital.

After discharge, routine blood draws to monitor sodium levels and physical and occupational therapies continued.

Four days after coming home, Waylon’s incisions from the drain (EVD) started leaking cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Waylon was immediately rushed back to the ER in Milwaukee, calling the neurology team on the way. After spending 11 hours in the ER—receiving multiple rounds of stitches, blood draws, and IV antibiotics—Waylon was able to go home again.

The following day, February 24th, Waylon returned to Children’s Hospital for surgery to have his chemo port installed along with other necessary procedures, including a spinal tap to determine if cancer cells had spread into his spinal column.

Waylon was recently accepted into Northwestern Medicine Proton Center in Illinois and has an appointment with the radiation team. He'll undergo an extensive CT scan to map his body and guide radiation treatment, which will target his entire brain and spine for 3 weeks, followed by 3 weeks of targeted tumor bed radiation.

Please consider helping the Wade family while they figure out how to manage this new normal. They will be traveling back and forth to Northwestern Medicine Proton Center in Illinois daily for MONTHS while Waylon receives his radiation treatment. Once complete, he will start chemotherapy for approximately 6 months followed by a stem cell transplant. Mom and Dad are both out of work and will likely not be able to return to work for another 9+ months. In addition to their regular household bills, they will soon start seeing medical bills pile up and expenses increase. Any little bit helps! Please consider giving back and helping so these parents can focus on getting their little boy the best treatment and chance at a long healthy life.