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Log in6-year-old boy treated for cancerous brain tumor
6-year-old boy treated for cancerous brain tumor
by Outspoken on Fri Aug 15, 2008 6:17 am
6-year-old boy treated for cancerous brain tumor
By Diana Bowley
Staff Writer Bangor Daily News
DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine - Jonathan Mullis, 6, is fighting cancer, but his early medical treatment, his positive attitude, and the love extended to him from his family and community appear to have sucker-punched the disease.
On April 4, the same day he was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a rare malignant brain tumor, the local boy underwent surgery and had all but a tiny bit of the tumor removed. Four days later, Mullis was back home enjoying playtime with his sister Rachel, 3.
"They [medical experts] gave us a lot of hope," his father, Brian Mullis, said Friday.
As an extra precaution, Jonathan has had chemotherapy and radiation treatments to kill the tiny bit of cancer that could not be surgically removed from the brain stem. Last week, Jonathan started the first of six cycles of chemotherapy treatment as a safeguard.
"Currently there is no tumor left at all and now we’re doing the chemo to make sure it doesn’t return," the elder Mullis said Thursday. "We have a very bright outlook for the future."
Other than the long scar on the back of Jonathan’s head and the loss of his brown hair, no one would ever suspect the blue-eyed boy had cancer. His loss of hair didn’t really bother him since his father shaved his own head in solidarity.
For Brian Mullis, who serves as Mayo Regional Hospital’s emergency medical services supervisor, the diagnosis was shocking. "I’ve been on the other side of having to deliver bad news to people many times through the years," and then the table turns, he said. "I don’t really know how to describe it [the diagnosis], it was a shock, it was hard to process anything but the most essential details."
The father recalled that Jonathan "felt crappy" in January when he started to vomit randomly and have headaches. He said he and his wife, Liz, took their son to specialists for treatment believing it was a gastrointestinal problem. Then on April 4, Jonathan awoke from sleep with double vision.
Brian Mullis said he called his family doctor to inquire about a CAT scan and was advised to bring his son right in, which he did. That was the day he was diagnosed with the brain tumor.
http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=168444&zoneid=500
(Photos By Bangor Daily News/Kate Collins)
By Diana Bowley
Staff Writer Bangor Daily News
DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine - Jonathan Mullis, 6, is fighting cancer, but his early medical treatment, his positive attitude, and the love extended to him from his family and community appear to have sucker-punched the disease.
On April 4, the same day he was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a rare malignant brain tumor, the local boy underwent surgery and had all but a tiny bit of the tumor removed. Four days later, Mullis was back home enjoying playtime with his sister Rachel, 3.
"They [medical experts] gave us a lot of hope," his father, Brian Mullis, said Friday.
As an extra precaution, Jonathan has had chemotherapy and radiation treatments to kill the tiny bit of cancer that could not be surgically removed from the brain stem. Last week, Jonathan started the first of six cycles of chemotherapy treatment as a safeguard.
"Currently there is no tumor left at all and now we’re doing the chemo to make sure it doesn’t return," the elder Mullis said Thursday. "We have a very bright outlook for the future."
Other than the long scar on the back of Jonathan’s head and the loss of his brown hair, no one would ever suspect the blue-eyed boy had cancer. His loss of hair didn’t really bother him since his father shaved his own head in solidarity.
For Brian Mullis, who serves as Mayo Regional Hospital’s emergency medical services supervisor, the diagnosis was shocking. "I’ve been on the other side of having to deliver bad news to people many times through the years," and then the table turns, he said. "I don’t really know how to describe it [the diagnosis], it was a shock, it was hard to process anything but the most essential details."
The father recalled that Jonathan "felt crappy" in January when he started to vomit randomly and have headaches. He said he and his wife, Liz, took their son to specialists for treatment believing it was a gastrointestinal problem. Then on April 4, Jonathan awoke from sleep with double vision.
Brian Mullis said he called his family doctor to inquire about a CAT scan and was advised to bring his son right in, which he did. That was the day he was diagnosed with the brain tumor.
http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=168444&zoneid=500
(Photos By Bangor Daily News/Kate Collins)
"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything."
Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
