Our son Connor was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor April 2015 at the age of 7. There is no cure for DIPG and only 200-300 kids are diagnosed with it yearly. Most do not survive and are given 6 months to a year to live. Connor had 6 weeks of radiation which did shrink the tumor but unfortunately without being able to remove the tumor it grows back. He also had a brain tumor biopsy to determine what might be the best drugs to attack it. But because most drugs do not go through or cross the brain blood barrier the medications didn’t work and the tumor grew. He then had a second round of radiation and again shrunk the tumor for a couple of months. Connor’s balance is very bad he can hardly walk it also affects his speech and he slobbers. He was such an active boy before this monster stuck him. He played baseball, basketball, soccer and loved to swim. He was also a straight A student in school and has a very witty sense of humor.

Connor is now 8 and is one month shy of surviving DIPG for a year on April 23, 2016. We hope there will be a cure soon for all these children and hope that Connor can survive another year.

The Patsilevas Family

Moon Township, PA (Pittsburgh)

To donate to the family to assist with expenses, please visit their Go Fund Me Page.