Joshua became unwell in the first few weeks of life, after much testing doctors discovered he had an astrocytoma (type of brain tumour) in his spinal cord. He underwent 18 months of chemotherapy which did successfully shrink the tumour, because of it's location in the spine surgeons are unable to remove it.
This led to him having hip dysplacia, bowel problems, hydrocephalus and ultimately meant he couldn't walk.
After living with a stable tumour for a number of years, it started to grow again and a second tumour was discovered just above the original one. Doctors felt the best way to treat this would be with proton therapy that was only available in America, so Josh underwent 3 months of proton therapy in Florida. This has stabilised the tumour again but unfortunately wasn't the "cure" we had hoped for and has also led to renal problems.
Lonnie was then diagnosed with a germ cell tumour and underwent surgery and chemotherapy himself. He is now in remission and will be monitored closely for the next five years.
We know many of Josh's doctors think that the tumour will continue to grow at some point (so he has scans every three months) and they have told us that when it does they won't have any more treatments that they can use to aim for a cure. We have also been warned of potential genetic issues and the impact that this will have on other children.
As a family however we remain positive and optimistic, we have come through so much together and we will continue to do so! Our motto from when we were in Florida was: "when life gives you lemons... make lemonade" so we will just continue making lemonade!
No comments:
Post a Comment