Hi friends and family,
Our dear friends, Jessica and Kevin Quan, have been experiencing what every family never plans for…their 7 year old son, Jace, was diagnosed with Medullablastoma (Pediatric Medullablastoma) and immediately had it removed the next day. Thankfully it was not found to have spread to other areas, but his surgery was complicated by Posterior Fossa Syndrome ( https://www.stjude.org/treatment/patient-resources/caregiver-resources/patient-family-education-sheets/rehabilitation/rehab-for-posterior-fossa-syndrome.html), which has made him non-verbal, unable to eat by mouth, and unable to coordinate his limbs/trunk. He is currently completely dependent for all his activities of daily living and will require lots of intense rehabilitation (Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech Language Therapy, Neuropsychiatric Therapy, and Tutoring) to help him return to the vibrant, energetic, athletic, Jace that he once was.
Their story is quite complex in nature because they were just about to move back to Canada, when the diagnosis was made. Kevin was about to transfer from the U.S office to the Canadian office. They had just purchased a new home and were packing things up, getting ready to move. The move has been put on hold until Jace’s medical care in Toronto can be coordinated. They also have a new baby girl, Kaia, who is now 8 months old, and are now in the process of bringing Grandma over from Canada to help care for her while Jessica and Kevin are at the hospital with Jace.
Jace had been experiencing headaches since last year that progressively became more frequent. Many health professionals attributed it to the sudden and significant increase in screen time due to Virtual School, but his eyeglasses prescription changed rather dramatically within a few months; the headaches became more frequent and were associated with vomiting; and most telling of all, his ability to balance had deteriorated significantly. Jace is a very athletic boy who was practicing Tae Kwon Do six days a week during the whole pandemic, so being unable to balance on one foot to complete a kick and his inability to walk toe-to-heel in a straight line really prompted further investigation. Unfortunately, as soon as he went for the MRI of is brain, they found the massive tumor and Jace was admitted to the pediatric ICU immediately to help relieve the pressure build-up in his brain and his subsequent surgeries.
This funding will mainly help with his rehabilitation and possible modifications needed for the house and transportation. Even though emergency services are covered under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan in Canada, many of these ancillary services are all out of pocket costs.
Any amount would be so helpful and much appreciated.