Rusty: Christian was diagnosed with cancer a month before his 14h birthday. He’s now 16 and in remission.

He was complaining about headaches, but they weren’t normal headaches. We scheduled an appointment with his pediatrician, Dr. Norma Mobley, but it was going to be a few weeks. Christian told my wife Ronnie that he couldn’t wait that long to see a doctor. We got him in sooner. Dr. Mobley couldn’t find anything wrong, but she scheduled an MRI a few days after our visit. After the MRI, we went back home. Our home was only 10 minutes away, but as soon as we got there we received a three-way call from Dr. Mobley and someone at USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital. Christian had medulloblastoma, a cancerous brain tumor that quickly spreads through cerebrospinal fluid. They had scheduled a room and were ready to admit him. Christian is with us today because Dr. Mobley was so proactive. She sent him for the MRI because God told her that Christian needed to be seen and she listened.

That was one of our saving graces because typically this type of cancer travels through the spinal fluid throughout the body before it’s diagnosed. We felt helpless and overwhelmed when we heard the words cancer and tumor. This was something we couldn’t fix. It’s like a thousand pieces of information coming in at one time. During our first nights at the hospital, I read everything I could about medulloblastoma while everyone else slept. The doctor who would care for us was one of the best in Alabama, but he was out of town when we entered the hospital and we had to wait a few days to see him. We didn’t know the size or severity of the tumor. We were in limbo for a few days but it seemed like months.

The surgery was a little over five hours. When Christian came out, there were tubes hanging out of his head. If he wanted to roll over, the ICU nurses adjusted the tubes because they had to regulate the pressure around his brain. There were also six weeks of radiation that made him sick. As a 14-year-old kid, it had to be hard. He was almost like a stroke patient and had to learn everything over again on his right side.

Ronnie: Christian spent almost a month in pediatric ICU. His friends and classmates came by to hang out with him, but that stopped during COVID quarantine. He became even more isolated. We tried to keep things as normal as possible in a situation that wasn’t normal. A teenage boy being around mom 24/7 was not the best thing. I am a teacher and was able to continue working. Rusty worked at night and was at home during the day, so they did boy bonding. Our jobs were understanding and it worked for us.

Rusty: The silver lining was that Christian and I got to bond while he was homesick and going through treatment. I tried to help him with his schoolwork, but I had to relearn the things I had forgotten from high school. Christian finished work early and we found things to do. We were doing virtual school before COVID made everyone do it.

Ronnie: Christian is easygoing and had a great support system from his church and school. I don’t think he ever complained other than being hot or cold and made a difficult situation as easy as it could be. We know there are so many other children out there that weren’t quite as lucky.

RUSTY: Kids are tougher than we give them credit for. Christian took losing his hair in stride. He finally told me to shave it off. We took some clippers and had fun making different hair designs before we let him join the bald club.

Christian rang the bell on Sept. 3, 2021. It was wonderful to hear from the doctors that he was in remission, but he will be having MRIs for a long time to make sure it hasn’t returned. When it’s time for the scan, I get an uneasy feeling. We have faith, but we will always have concerns. When kids with medulloblastoma have a recurrence, there’s a small survival rate.

Our day-to-day operations are kind of back to normal. Christian is doing all the things a normal 16-year-old kid does. He got his driver’s license and works at Mo’bay Beignet. I don’t know if he enjoys working or is just getting away from us after a few years of helicopter parents all over him.

Ronnie: We did Special Spectator last year. The program gives VIP access to sporting events for seriously ill kids. Because of COVID, they didn’t have all the behind-the-scenes activities, but we still had a great day. Christian is a Texas A&M fan. He was following Kellen Mond from A&M and he was excited about seeing him play. Before the game, Christian saw a man wearing an A&M hat–they were probably the only two in the whole stadium. They looked at each other and said, ‘gig em.’ That was Kellen Mond’s father. That night he sent Christian a picture of the two of them at dinner in Mobile. A week later, Kellen sent Christian an autographed football in the mail. Special Spectators Christian gave Christian a normal activity during the cancer process.

Rusty: There are so many wonderful organizations such as Sunshine Kids, The Berry Strong Foundation, and Camp Rapahope that do things for these kids. When Christian started virtual school, Hopecam supplied the school with the necessary technology he needed. Magic Moments sent him to Green Bay, Wisconsin to watch the Green Bay Packers play on Christmas Day.

It has been a long road from diagnosis until today. Everyone has a story. It makes you more tolerant of the world and to live in the moment. Christian wants to go to medical school at South Alabama to become a radiologist. Hopefully, he will stay towards the pediatric side and use his experience to help others. I think Christian’s going to do amazing things with his life. He’s been given a second chance and realizes the value of living. I think he’ll change things for others.