Brayden Fleigle turned 16 years old in January. A day filled with so many hopes and dreams.
One, getting his driver's permit. >>I've been studying and studying
thought I had all the test questions down but first they make you take a vision screening,
well I completely bombed the vision screening. >>He said he felt his vision part it was kind
of a little off and a little scary at that point even. >>I instantly knew that something wasn't
right because he was just at the eye doctors elite in the summer and everything was great.
>>Allison quickly made an appointment with an eye doctor which led to seeing an eye specialist. >>He
took one look into my eyes and he saw there was some mass sitting behind my optic nerve
and he said you need to get to Hershey and you need to get to Hershey now. >>I knew obviously
there was something wrong so it was yeah a lot of fear I tried to be strong because I was taking him
of course you know we're in COVID, so it's one parent everywhere. >>I was just shocked
,panicking they didn't use the word tumor because tumor while technically if it's cancerous or not
cancer it's it's still considered a tumor. So, but when people think of tumors they think of cancers.
>>Once he had come into the ER he had underwent the CT scan and the MRI scan
and the MRI scan had revealed that he had a pretty large lesion in the area of his brain called the
pineal gland. So, the lesion measured about two centimeters by two centimeters and that area
is pretty much right in the center of the brain. >>That was a life-changing moment knowing your son
has a brain tumor and something there's definitely surgery going to be involved and it was it was
life-changing and scary. >>It was terrifying hearing a neurosurgeon a pediatric neurosurgeon
tell you that the option is surgery tomorrow. It's you know, it's not something you can sit at home
and think about. >>We had to basically address two problems; one was hydrocephalus or too much fluid
in his brain and the second was to get a piece of this tumor so we could figure out what kind of
treatment he would need in the future. So, what we did was we created a small hole in the skull and
advanced a camera into the brain where we were able to place a hole in the bottom of what's
called the third ventricle, so that the cerebral spinal fluid would have a different pathway
to relieve the pressure on his brain. At the same time, we then moved that same camera back towards
where the tumor was and we were able to grab some specimens of it to send to pathology so that they
could get an official diagnosis. >>This was only eight days after I failed my vision test and nine
days after my birthday, we got the result that, and it's going to sound weird, fortunately, it
was a cancerous tumor and it was treatable. >>So the pathology reported a what's called a germanoma
and on the scheme of pineal region tumors a germanoma is actually a pretty good diagnosis in
the sense that many germinomas respond very well to chemotherapy and radiation therapy. >>So, it
was a relief to hear that that was the diagnosis. Still terrifying and heartbreaking to hear your
child has any form of cancer but we found that this was the better form so he can be treated.
>>It was a blessing because we knew we had a plan moving forward and you know if everything stayed
on plan and the tumor reacted to the to the chemo and the radiation, it was a very good prognosis.
>>While this tumor was treatable, a second brain surgery was needed. >>We proceeded to do
what's called a ventricular peritoneal shunt where basically we placed a tube in the ventricles of
the brain to help reduce the pressure and attached it to a valve that helps to regulate the pressure
of the brain to make sure that it's in the normal range. >>So, it kind of acts as an overflow drain.
So, if my ventricles have too much fluid in it it drains from my head down behind my ear
over my chest and into my stomach and then because we knew I needed chemo at that point, while I was
under anesthesia, they also put in a medpor, on the right side of my chest. >>As Braden mentioned,
chemotherapy was the next step, after four rounds it was obvious it was working. >>After a few weeks
of chemotherapy and in repeat MRI scan his tumor is much smaller. It's less than half a centimeter
in its overall diameter and it's no longer causing the compression that it was causing before.
It made me feel really really happy, really thankful, I'm really blessed that it's, I mean,
the goal was that it stopped growing so that was, I was so happy that it stopped growing.
>>Brayden is currently undergoing 25 treatments of proton radiation. >>He's 16 and his whole life
got turned upside down and you know there are always good days and there are always
bad days but he is staying so positive and we tell him all the time how proud we are because
this is the hardest challenge he will ever go through. >>He's doing well,
his spirits are high, he is stronger than I was at 16 by every stretch of the imagination and he
has a great support system. >>Brayden is staying positive and counting down the days till his last
treatment because he has a plan. >>Once I'm cleared by the eye specialist in Hershey,
I'm planning on going the same day and taking the test and getting my permit.