Chayton is a two time Medulloblastoma Survivor. His family writes, “In the summer of 2006 we began seeing signs of concern for Chayton’s health. He had several episodes of vomitting and he would often fall from even to uneven surfaces. We spoke with his pediatrician about our concerns in December and he said we should do a psychological evaluation after Christmas. After Christmas, Chayton came down with a horrible case of the flu. I took him to the pediatrician on Tuesday and he said if he is not better by Friday I want to see him again to make sure this does not turn into pneumonia. By Thursday night Chayton could not even walk. We took him back to the pediatrician on Friday. His pediatrician was concerned about his “gait” and we were sent to the children’s hospital for a CT scan to make sure he did not have Ataxia (which is a virus in the cerebellum). They also wanted to do a chest x-ray for pneumonia. By the time he was back from his chest x-ray the E.R. doctor asked us to come in his office to see the results from the CT scan. That is when she told us Chayton had a mass on his brain the size of a large egg. I remember it like it was yesterday how we both just stood there in disbelief. He was then taken to surgery to relieve the pressure in his brain. We were admitted to the hospital and we had to wait 6 days for his brain surgery while they treated him for symptoms of pneumonia. The surgery was a success and they were able to remove the whole mass, however pathology showed it was cancer. Our world came to a screeching halt not knowing what we were about to face with Chayton. We came home after being in the hospital for 16 days so he could recover and get his body ready for chemo. Chayton started a 6 month protocol and we were in the hospital every 2 weeks for 4-5 days so he could receive his chemo. He did absolutely awesome and sailed through the whole 6 months with minimal complications. We felt so blessed that he handled it so well. He finished his protocol in October of 2006. He went back to preschool and I went back to teaching at his school. Life was great and we were living life to the fullest. In September of 2007, during a routine MRI, we learned the cancer had returned. We were back in the fight with many decisions to make. That November Chayton underwent another brain surgery that was again successful. After surgery, he started chemo to prepare his body for stem cell transplant. We left for Duke University in March of 2008 where he underwent a stem cell transplant. We were away from home for 3 months for this procedure. Chayton once again did great and handled the treatment like a champ. We came home for 2 weeks and we were then off to Jacksonville, Florida for proton radiation therapy. We lived there until Aug. of 2008 and Chayton has been in remission ever since. We feel very blessed to be where we are today. Chayton is in the 5th grade and making all A’s. We are so proud of him and what he has had to endure as a child. We do not take anything for granted and we sure have learned a lot through Chayton’s illness. We live life to the fullest and look at each day as a blessing.” 

Chayton enjoys playing video games, playing Minecraft on the computer, playing with Legos, fishing, swimming, and playing golf.

Every child who has been diagnosed with childhood cancer inspires us to Rally On to find better treatments with fewer long-term side effects and, ultimately, cures. Please join us in the fight against childhood cancer by making a donation or setting up your own Rally fundraiser today.