Super Mac

A little background on our hero, Super Mac, and the beginning of his battle ...

January 17
Mac was home sick with what everyone thought was a stomach bug. He had been up all night vomiting and struggling with a headache. Despite this, he insisted on going to his eye doctor appointment that afternoon.

During the visit, Mac's opthalmologist, Dr. Vicki Chen, noticed something unusual. The nerves behind his eyes were swollen, indicating that Mac needed further assessment because one of three things could be happening: 1) he could have high blood pressure, 2) he could have an infection, possibly meningitis, or 3) there could be a growth in his brain.

After consulting with Mac's pediatrician and her peers at Tufts Medical, Dr. Chen ensured that Mac would be seen immediately upon arrival at Tufts Medical Floating Hospital for Children.

There, Mac underwent an MRI, which confirmed Dr. Chen's - and our - worst fear. Something was growing in his brain. Mac had a brain tumor.

He was scheduled for surgery on January 18 so the neurology team could take a sample of the tumor for biopsy and remove what they could.

January 18
With friends and family praying and sending well wishes, and mom, dad, and Liam by his side, Mac spent his morning preparing for surgery. The team in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) even brought a Wii system to his room to keep his mind off the fact that he hadn't eaten in almost 24 hours...and wouldn't be able to eat pre-operation.

He went in at 3:35 p.m and after an hour of prepping him - sedation, IVs, etc. - the doctors began their work.

Just after 6:00, we received the update that surgery was "going as expected," which was good news as far as we were concerned. Two hours later, we learned that he was out of surgery and that the doctor would be coming up to give us some more information.

We knew that the surgical team wouldn't be able to get all of the tumor in the first pass given its location (in the area of the brain where spinal fluid is produced - and the fact that it was intertwined with veins and arteries) and size, but they took what they could.

We learned that the type of tumor is called an "astrocytoma," and that this type can't spread beyond the brain so its attack is confined (which is good). The tumor was quite large - 3 inches - but the fact that Mac has been so active with no coordination or speech issues indicates that it was a slow-growing tumor (also good).

We won't know more about the grade of the tumor or whether it is benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous) until later this week.

Overnight, Mac did well - his vitals were stable and he responded physically and verbally to the hourly tests that involved pinching him to make sure he was maintaining feeling in his arms and legs. He certainly was! As Billy said, he woke up swinging a couple of times! He was angry about the constant prodding and the fact that he was stuck with a catheter and IVs....this reaction is GREAT NEWS because it indicates that everything is functioning normally in his brain.

However, despite all this goodness, the spinal fluid was pooling in his brain and causing additional pressure. The doctors determined that they were going to go back in and see if they could relieve that pressure and identify its root cause.

January 19 - morning
Mac went back into the operating room with the same surgeon who had performed the original biopsy and removal the day before. We were all thrilled by this news as this surgeon received high praise from the staff on the PICU floor.

By 10:30, he was out of surgery and the team knew what had caused the spinal fluid to stop draining - blood clots. They determined that they would monitor his blood flow to ensure that it continues to work normally and allow the spinal fluid to drain appropriately.

They also decided that it would be best for Mac to remain sedated over the next 24-48 hours to allow his body to rest and recover.

What's next?
We know that Super Mac can fight this! He is a healthy, strong kid and he's in good hands with the amazing staff at the PICU. The fact that he was able to run, play, think, talk, and throw a dance pa-hty over the past several days and weeks is such great news because it means that even before we knew it, he was fighting the tumor.

More to come on the biopsy results and the neurology team's treatment plan! Keep those prayers coming!

If you have specific questions, submit them to this blog and we'll get answers posted as soon as possible!