Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Program Patient Stories

In 2015, 17-year-old Aaron was diagnosed with two brain tumors. Despite a cancer diagnosis, he managed to stay on track at school and receive his diploma in June. 

It all started when he fell off a trampoline at a friend’s birthday party. Concerns about a possible concussion soon gave way to more shocking news: Liam had a brain tumor.

Grayson has an astrocytoma on his brain stem. It is the type of tumor that can become almost a chronic disease — it may never disappear, but the goal of treatment is to keep it stabilized.

When a CT scan showed a tumor in Jake’s brain, he was sent to CHOP immediately for surgery. Doctors diagnosed the mass as Ewing sarcoma, a type of cancerous tumor.

When Mary McKernan was 3 years old, she was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a rare brain cancer. She was treated with surgery and proton therapy at CHOP.

After a CT scan revealed a medulloblastoma in Jacqueline’s brain, she underwent surgery, radiation and chemotherapy at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

In December 2006, Shanna was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She tells how the experience profoundly impacted her life, and what she’s learned from her fight.

Sultan traveled from the Middle East after his parents learned about Dr. Jay Storm’s expertise in pediatric brain tumors.

Mark was diagnosed with a pediatric brain tumor when he was three years old and began treatment at CHOP. Now an eighth grader, he tells the story of his fight with cancer.

Trish Cartafalsa noticed that her 2-year-old, Ryan, was having problems with balance. Days later, he was having a pediatric brain tumor removed at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.