Support Josiah's Fight Against Brain and Spine Cancer

In January 2016, our family was trying to rebuild our lives after a sudden and heartbreaking turn of events. We had just moved back to Hawaii to be with family when my then 13-year-old son, Josiah, began experiencing debilitating headaches and pressure behind his eyes. After countless trips to the ER, it was only after pushing for a scan that we finally received the devastating news: Josiah had a brain tumor.

The tumor wrapped around his brainstem and cerebellum. The doctors told us we needed to act quickly because it was life-threatening. My heart shattered when I learned it was cancer — Ependymoma, a rare and aggressive type of brain tumor. I immediately sought out treatment for Josiah, leading us to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

Despite being an unemployed single mother with four children - we put our faith in God and moved forward with Josiah’s treatment. He underwent brain surgery and proton radiation, and we settled into a routine of scans and follow-ups. Josiah was even back in the boxing gym training and looking forward to a bright future.

But in 2018, the cancer came back — a lesion was found in the same area of his brain. Another surgery and radiation followed. Josiah continued to fight. He graduated high school in 2021 and enrolled in college, determined to pursue his dreams of becoming a biochemist.

In 2022, the cancer spread to Josiah’s spine, requiring an emergency surgery and additional radiation. Yet, it wasn’t long before more tumors appeared in his brain. He began an aggressive chemotherapy regimen, taking oral chemo daily and weekly intravenous treatments. We were hopeful, but in 2023, Josiah enrolled in immunotherapy clinical trials, still holding on to hope.

Today, Josiah is back in Texas, but in the worst condition he has ever been in. After numerous treatments and clinical trials that were supposed to help, the cancer continues to ravage his body. He is now ineligible for any more clinical trials and have exhausted all standard care. The risks for another brain surgery simply out weighs its benefits and are not recommended. There are no more clinical trials for his type of cancer that he qualifies for due to his age (23).

This is why we are reaching out to you, with heavy hearts, to ask for your support. We are exploring alternative, natural treatments to help Josiah. We are looking into therapies like red light therapy, Eboo ozone IV treatment, and hyperbaric chamber therapy, stem cell therapy, high dose IV therapies and traveling out of state for integrative treatments— all of which are costly but will help stabilize the disease, provide some relief, healing, possibilities of slowing it down or even turning this around.

The financial strain has been overwhelming, and it’s difficult to manage the cost of treatments, travel, and daily living while juggling our family's needs. We made the decision to start this GoFundMe account in the hope that with your help, Josiah can access these alternative therapies and continue to fight.

We need your help, and every donation, no matter how small, will make a difference in Josiah’s fight for his life. We are eternally grateful for your support and prayers as we continue this difficult journey, holding onto hope and the belief that a miracle is still possible.