Anthony’s Strength

Anthony’s Strength

Sarah

On September 24th, 2014, my then 4 month old son was brought into Yale New Haven hospital with symptoms that resembled a virus. As his Mom, I knew something more serious was wrong. He had been vomiting randomly for 5 days and I did everything in my power to make him feel better. With all my efforts, he was getting worse. There was no possible way this was a virus in my mind because he would have been on the road to recovery not spiraling downward. That morning my poor baby was lethargic. He was not responding to us, sleeping a lot, and wouldn’t crack a smile if I tried my best. This was not my son! We rushed him to the ER at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital and after a quick cat scan, he was diagnosed with a mass on his brain, admitted to the hospital, and immediately sedated to run an MRI and insert a drain in his head to reduce the pressure.

The next day, Anthony was brought into surgery and for the next 9 hours, I can’t even remember breathing. But he was in the hands of a brilliant and compassionate surgeon named Doctor DiLuna. Surprisingly, my fears weren’t what you would expect them to be after I met Dr. DiLuna. Looking at him, I just knew that he would save my son. They say “a mother always knows.” Around 9:30 pm, we were brought back to the PICU where I saw my sweet boy again for the first time. Swollen, incubated, with a large incision down the side of his head, but alive. Anthony’s tumor biopsy came back benign-THANK GOD FOR THAT! And although the 14 days he spent in the PICU were a roller coaster filled with ups and downs, he made it out and has returned to a normal life filled with developmental milestones and tons of smiles! To me, this was nothing but a story of love, the proof of God’s existence, and the realization that human beings can make miracles-just like the Doctor who saved my son.

Opinions expressed within this story belong solely to the author and do not reflect the views or opinions of the National Brain Tumor Society.