Myles Holmes...Little Superman

Imagine your 5 year old son thriving and being a typical young boy. We see them playing soccer, swimming, riding their bike , exploring this world. Our friends, Andy Holmes and Beth Spyhalski, were experiencing this with their son,  Myles Holmes,  when suddenly he was found on the soccer field crying because he couldn't see straight. Andy pulled him aside and did what all dad's do..."c'mon son, your OK" ... "get back in there and start playing". Myles couldn't hold his balance and he appeared confused. Something was much different. This was not like Myles. 

In  early June,  Doctors ordered an MRI after determining Myles was not dealing with allergies or sinus issues. The MRI revealed he had an arachnoid cyst in the lower front of his brain. The doctors believed it would not grow and was there since birth.  There was a sense of relief because this was going to pass and everyone would return to their normal lives. Instead, on July 9th Myles vision started blurring even more and he was experiencing double vision.  He was brought to a local Optometrist based on the Neurosurgeon's recommendations. The Optometrist took a look at him and immediately sent Myles to Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapid,  Michigan.  He was admitted and this is where things turned into more than our friends could have ever imagined for their son.

Another MRI showed the cyst grew and he had fluid forming around his brain. They scheduled surgery for the following Monday morning, July 13th. The procedure would include inserting a shunt but during this surgery his brain pushed the fluid on the exterior of the brain and gave no room for the Surgeon to insert the shunt. The Surgeon said they would have to wait and see if this released enough pressure for his vision to come back. Four days went by with no change for the better so they made the choice to go in again on Saturday, July 18th to place the shunt in the cyst which was still causing pressure on Myles optic nerves. The shunt was inserted and worked perfectly. 


The family was released to go home and over the next two weeks Myles slowly gained more fluid on his brain until unfortunately, on July 29th he started vomiting and couldn't get out of bed because of the pain and pressure in his head. He was admitted into DeVos ICU when the Neurosurgeon found there was blood and fluid on the top of his brain causing way too many critical problems. They could not wait any longer and went in for surgery and inserted a drain tube until his body is able to adapt to the fluid and pressure change in his head.

Just this week Andy indicated they are going to be released to go home but will be checking in daily with the staff from Devos.

This is what we have found out about Myles. His favorite super heroes are Batman, The Hulk, Spider-Man, Power Rangers, Captain America, Superman, Bamax, and Minions. He likes to wear super hero costumes! He likes golf, baseball, soccer and football. Myles enjoys walks in the woods looking for treasures and exploring looking for bugs and worms.  He enjoys going to the movies and playing video games on the Xbox . Also, in his quiet time he likes to read and play Legos.

We want to do something special for Myles Holmes - Little Superman. This 5 year old boy has been amazingly resilient and has fought through battle after battle. Beth and Andy are not the type to ask for help...they are tremendous people with huge hearts. They want their boy to feel better and recover fully.  Let's help them as much as possbile to address the traveling expenses, meals and ongoing costs . Insurance will cover items but not everything. At last count they had been in Devos for a total of 14 nights.

Every dollar will help this family.  Let's see how far we can pass this goal for Myles.