Connor's Brain Tumor Recovery

At the end of September, less than a week after the arrival of his baby sister, Connor started acting unlike himself with rapidly evolving symptoms. Normally a sweet, happy, and smiley two year old, Connor was slowing down, acting tired, complaining of head and neck pain, and occasionally vomiting. In a very short time, he became unable to walk straight, would no longer run or tackle stairs on his own, and would sometimes just fall down. Rather than play, he’d choose to lay down on the couch with his blanket and pillow.  After several other tests and doctor visits, Connor had an MRI to evaluate for any structural abnormalities in his brain.

On Friday, October 16th, Connor was diagnosed with a brain tumor and hydrocephalus – a build-up of fluid in the brain caused by a blockage from the tumor. He was immediately taken to surgery to have an external shunt placed in his brain to help drain the excess fluid and relieve the pressure. Following the shunt placement, he was admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in Fargo, ND and over the weekend additional MRI’s were ordered to determine if any metastatic lesions had developed along his spine.

On Monday, October 19th, Connor endured a 7 ½ hour Suboccipital Craniotomy and C1 Laminectomy (brain surgery to remove the tumor) and remained intubated and on a ventilator through the night and into Tuesday. After a couple days of healing and another follow up MRI, Connor was headed back to the operating room on the 26th for another procedure called an Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy. The goal was to provide an alternate pathway to help the fluid circulate and drain properly and allowed for the removal of the external shunt.

As of the 28th, Connor finally has all of his tubes and wires disconnected and is still in the hospital awaiting a final MRI before he can go home to finish healing from the surgeries. He is anxious to get home and see his brother and two sisters.

There have been numerous friends and family reaching out to ask how they can help so I am starting this page now as one potential avenue and will update it as we get more information on what the future holds.

They are anticipating the next stages of treatment to be at a facility outside of North Dakota.  Any funds raised will go towards previous and future surgeries or procedures, as well as trips to and from extended treatment and other associated expenses.

If you'd like to reach out directly to Chris or Brooke or to request an address, please email [email redacted] or [email redacted]