Hi friends and family,

Lewis went in for his three-year, post-op MRI on June 11. It had been a year since his last scan, which was the longest he’d been without an MRI since he was 10 months old, something we were both really excited for but also a bit nervous about. The news coming out of this scan wasn’t what we were hoping for or expecting - the radiologists found a very small bright spot that has grown slightly since a year ago, which was quickly labeled as a tumor recurrence. This report was really devastating to read, bringing back the flood of emotions and worries we hadn’t felt in years. I felt like I was spinning in a daze that day. We’ve always been told that craniopharyngiomas are hard to get rid of permanently and commonly recur, but it was hard to accept that his tumor could really be back.

Our doctors have all been surprised and confused by the spot, as it’s not in the same location as his tumor initially was. This had led to a lot of frustration as we’ve been having to wait for clarity. We just had our meeting with Dr. JFM, Lewis’ surgeon, and he confirmed the results of the scan, that it shows something growing. One possible explanation is that his tumor somehow reseeded and then started to regrow, but they are not able to tell from the scans what it is and it could be something else unknown. Although not many alternative explanations have been offered, we’re trying to hold onto that hope as much as we can that it is not a recurrence of the craniopharyngioma brain tumor. His next scan will be in January, which will give us another view of the spot and confirm if it continues to grow.

Please pray that when we come to January, the spot will either be gone or have not grown. If this is a tumor, it’s very slow-growing (and God-willing) a long time away from having any kind of visible effect on Lewis. He’s otherwise doing really great in his health. We don’t know what next steps will look like after that scan, whether it’s waiting longer or moving to some kind of treatment such as surgery or radiation. With Dr. JFM and the other specialized doctors we’re in contact with, we truly believe we have the best care and treatment options in the world available. We are choosing to trust in the Lord with everything, and are asking Him to do it again.

In the meantime, the emotions include the high highs and low lows. Even as we come to terms with this and process what this could all mean for Lewis and our family & the loss of complete healing from his big surgery, there has been so much to be thankful for in life recently. Lewis had his last day of preschool last week (with kindergarten starting in a month!), we got to truly celebrate being 3 years tumor free before this report showed up, and have had a really fun summer as a family. Lewis has also been continuing to do Make-A-Wish events as an ambassador, which feels even more meaningful now. He’s already raised over $7K to help grant other kids’ wishes (thank you so much to everyone who has given!). He even got to make another local TV appearance at the beginning of June with KGW. You can watch it here!

We’re so proud of this kid. We’ve always been very open with him about his health, but he’s not scared about what’s coming. His faith in God is always inspiring to us. But please pray with us for another miracle, and for an understanding-surpassing peace that we can hold onto for these next six months as we wait. Feel free to tell him that you are praying for him, that you love him, or are cheering him on, etc. We think it is good for him to see the community around him & feel the encouragement. We love all of you and are so thankful for your support, both in the past five years, and in what’s to come.