Reese has coughed on and off for nearly a year, while occasionally being short of breath as well. He also complained of pain in his chest area. The symptoms all seemed to point to asthma. On Sunday, January 19, Brandy noticed Reese’s L shoulder being a lot higher than the R, and his L chest area being quite a bit larger than the R. The ribs on the L side were also sticking out. On Monday they went to the doctor in Brownwood. The nurse practitioner felt like it was inflammation to the sternum from coughing, but Brandy insisted they do a chest x-ray anyway. X-rays don't show as much, but it looked as if he had an enlarged heart. They were advised at 3ish to go to Cooks ER that day. After repeat chest x-rays and a CAT scan at Cooks, they knew they were dealing with a very large mass of lymph nodes compacted into 1 large tumor called a mediastinal tumor. The tumor is pushing his heart to the side and compressing his airway nearly shut. It stretches from the clavicle to the lower rib cage. He was not able to be sedated for procedures due to fear of his airway collapsing. He was a champ during his needle biopsy to the neck lymph node, his R arm PICC line, and the bone marrow aspiration. He was super scared but was the sweetest during the procedures. While all of the results aren’t in, the doctor feels that his cancer is Hodgkins Lymphoma. Reese has a long road ahead, but this cancer is very beatable.
Brandy also had Hodgkins disease 20 years ago when she was 19. What better person to guide Reese through the tough times ahead?
They will have to stay in the DFW area for several weeks so Reese can be close to his medical team at Cooks and then will be traveling back and forth from Brownwood. During his treatment, Reese will be home schooled until his immune system is strong again. 
Brandy will provide updates on this page as Reese’s treatment progresses. 
Thank you all for reaching out to offer support and prayers during this time of need!