PAX is excited to share an exciting update on our little friend Silas! When he got sick in the summer of 2014, his parents could not imagine life ever being this enjoyable again. But today, they say life is better than ever and the thrill they get out of watching their little boy grow up is indescribable.
Silas has been doing very well. He is feeling good, and his body is still handling the chemotherapy unbelievably well, despite having been in treatment for nearly two years. This past summer Silas and his family traveled back to Mayo to meet with some of the doctors who treated him early on. They were very pleased with his progress, and seemed pretty optimistic about his future. Mom and Dad say it was good to see him walking up and down the halls that had once haunted them in the early stages of his treatment and diagnosis. He was so weak and fragile back then, the family didn’t know if he would make it to his 1st birthday. Many answered prayers later……Silas is now 3! He recently celebrated his third birthday with family and friends; a treasured moment after many months of chemotherapy, tests, and hospitalizations!
It has been determined that Silas no longer requires Physical Therapy, but he will continue to receive Occupational and Speech Therapy, each once per week. Silas loves to get out of the house, so Mom has been cautiously taking Silas to Art and Music classes at the Children’s Museum. He even dressed up as Popeye for Halloween and loved Trick-or-Treating with his brothers.
While Silas is growing, developing and feeling good, he still has a very long road ahead. Doctors plan to have Silas continue his chemotherapy through the summer of 2017, and then finally give his body a much needed break. Unfortunately, the average time it takes for these types of tumors to begin growing again is only five months. His family is hopeful for a much longer break than that, but they are not naive to the reality of the situation. Once the tumor starts to grow again, doctors will likely try another two year stint on this same regimen, unless new opportunities are presented. The good news is there are a lot more options on the table now that Silas is older and stronger.!
PAX continues to support Silas and his family with our programs and we are so happy that this long course of treatment has taken a turn in the right direction. We wish Silas and his family a very Merry Christmas!
