2026 giving receipient

 In July of 2024, after months of pain and confusion surrounding the cause of Wyatt’s severe neck pain, Wyatt not only welcomed his second little sister into his life, but he also received a rare cancer diagnosis at just 5 years old.

Diffuse leptomeningeal glioneuronal tumor (DLGNT) is a type of brain tumor that has only had an official name since 2016 and is considered extremely rare.

Wyatt immediately underwent the first of several surgeries after his tumor was discovered through an MRI scan. First, he had a shunt placed to relieve pressure in his head and neck. Shortly after, he underwent a major surgery to remove as much of the tumor as safely possible. Following the surgery, he wore a brace for several months while his neck healed.

His next surgery was to place his port so he could begin chemotherapy. We traveled to the children’s hospital once a week for treatment, and sometimes multiple times a week for additional tests and appointments, for a total of 15 months.

One of the greatest moments in our journey came when Wyatt was declared in remission in October of 2025, followed by one of the hardest when, after only six months, we learned in April 2026—right before his 7th birthday—that his tumor had begun to grow again, meaning his cancer was back.

He is now on a newly FDA-approved targeted therapy medication, an oral treatment he will take once a week for two years. We won’t know if the medication is working until his next scans in July, but we are hopeful. Most of all, we are grateful that he has been mostly pain-free and able to live life as normally as possible.

When it comes to this journey, we find ourselves resonating with Wyatt, who during the many tests and pokes often says, “I don’t like it, I don’t want to do it.” In those moments, we remind him: “You don’t have to like it, but you do have to do it. And you can do it. Everyone is here to help you do it.”