CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS — September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness month. To raise awareness, the Harbor bridge will light up in gold this week. Cancer is the number one cause of death from disease in children in the United States.
Fifty years ago, childhood cancer was almost incurable but the overall survival rate for childhood cancer is now 80 percent. We want to share the story of 5-year-old Julian Galloway’s fight against the disease.
"It has been a very long road for Julian and our entire family,” said Monica Galloway Julian’s mother.
Last December Julian Galloway's parents took him to the doctor because he had been vomiting. Doctors checked for the flu and RSV, but just two days before Christmas, X-rays revealed something devastating.
"And so we found out within the hour that he had brain cancer,” said his mother. He was diagnosed with medulloblastoma high risk group 3. The cancer had already spread to his spine. After surgery, he developed posterior foassa syndrome which can happen when a tumor is removed from this area of the brain.
"There is nothing that says you know how long it can be experienced so we didn't know we have no idea how long he would be in that state,” said his mother. The staff at Driscoll Children's hospital was with the Galloway family every step of the way as they began extensive speech and occupational therapy for Julian.
"He was able to learn how to eat, talk and walk again and that was of course a very scary time for us as well,” said Galloway.
Dr. Nkeichi MBA, is a Pediatric Hematology-Oncology specialist at Driscoll says kids like Julian brings out the best in all of us.
"You kind of look at him every day and you see the challenges that he is going through but you see his attitude through it and that kind of encourages you,” said Dr. Mba.
Julian has one more chemo treatment today and if all is clear, he’ll be able to return to school where he’ll be starting Kindergarten at St. Pius Catholic school.
