Tripp's Road To Recovery

About Tripp: Tripp is a very easy-going, loving, and sweet 4-year-old boy! On a typical day, he would love to lounge around the house all day eating hot Cheetos and watching YouTube if his mom would let him :). Tripp has a vibrant personality! He loves video games, fighting imaginary bad guys, and says he wants to be Spiderman when he grows up. He loves superheroes- Spiderman and Batman are his favorites. He enjoys playing with his friends Peyton and Emma. However, his favorite thing to do is to play with his 5 brothers; Taylor, Talan, Tucker, Tate, and Tarek. 

About Tripp's family: Tripp's mother, Donisha, is a part-time nurse and a full-time mom. With 6 boys to look after she stays very busy. Tripp's father, Bob, works away from home but tries to be home as much as possible. The boys are the light of their lives and this has affected them deeply. It has been hard for the whole family to be apart from each other during this time.

Tripp's Story:  At first, Donisha started to notice very subtle changes in Tripp's coordination and balance. He could still run, swim, and play with his brothers; however, Donisha still wanted to have it checked out. Then came CoVid- since it did not seem like anything more than something that a little physical therapy couldn't help it was determined that the risk of having the appointment during the beginning of CoVid was not something they wanted to take. Donisha completed some balance and coordination testing at home on 6/28/20 which Tripp did poorly on. Donisha then noticed in a video of Tripp that she had taken earlier that day that the left side of his body seemed weaker. This caused immediate red flags for her. Tripp was seen by his PCP on 6/30/20. The provider referred her to Madison Neurology and he was seen the following day. The neurologist knew something was amiss and had him in for an MRI that same day. The MRI showed a large tumor on the right side of his brain as well as a cyst and swelling. Tripp was taken from the MRI to the Children's Hospital in Madison by ambulance where he has been since 7/1/20. Tripp had brain surgery completed on 7/7/20 that took 12+ hours. 

Outcome: They were able to remove 98% of the tumor. Preliminary testing shows a Pilocytic astrocytoma grade 1. Tripp continues with noted left-sided weakness. Tripp will need intensive therapies to regain strength, mobility, and full function, repeat MRI's (due to possible reoccurrence), and follow up appointments with specialists. 

Funding usage: Any funds raised with this GoFundMe will go towards medical bills, medical supplies, any ongoing medical treatment, expenses for overnight stays, transportation, missed work, and meals.