Patient Updates
Peter's parents suspected something other than an ear infection was responsible for their son's limp and difficulty running. But they dared not give voice to that fear. Words, it turned out, would not be necessary.
Peter's mom saw her worst fear in the face of the technician who performed her son's CT scan.
"I was trying not to think the worst, but when I saw the tech's face -- and then he had someone else look at the image and I saw that person's face -- I knew. I knew."
A rare, cancerous tumor had developed in Peter's brain called pineoblastoma. Doctors felt an operation was out of the question and began preparations to start Peter on a very aggressive chemotherapy. Nervous about the tumor remaining in their son's brain, Peter's parents began to research pineoblastoma and at the suggestion of Peter's aunt, contacted St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
After reviewing Peter's records, a doctor at St. Jude said the words that Peter's parents longed to hear -- he needed an operation to remove the tumor.
Two days after arriving at St. Jude, Peter underwent a six-hour operation during which surgeons removed all but a tiny fragment of the tumor. "It went better than anyone could have hoped for," his mother said.
Peter emerged from the surgery with some weakness on his left side, but he has worked to regain that strength. "Now, you can't tell he had any weakness," said his mom.
Peter received 20 rounds of chemotherapy, six weeks of conformal radiation, and an additional 20 rounds of chemotherapy to combat the remaining bit of tumor. Today, there is no sign of the cancer, and Peter and his family have returned home. They return to St. Jude regularly for check-ups and tests -- and in summer 2008 there was still no sign of the cancer.
Peter's parents realize there is no known cure for their son's tumor -- but have hope that research will unlock the secret to stopping this deadly disease. In the meantime, they plan to enjoy every moment they have with their son -- and look forward to their visits with their "St. Jude family."
"It's not unusual to hear the nurses or the doctors tell Peter that they love him, "Peter's mother said. "And I truly believe that they do."
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