Theo

Theo was a normal, happy 14-month-old boy who loved clocks, cars, and all things tools. One day, he started having some intermittent vomiting that would come and go every few days. His pediatrician suggested trying a reflux medicine and switching him to non-dairy milk to see if that helped. On March 31, 2025, after a few weeks of trying different things with no success, Theo's pediatrician recommended going to the ER for further tests. What was thought to be possibly a milk allergy turned into his family's worst nightmare: Theo had a large cancerous posterior fossa tumor. Their local ER immediately airlifted them to Memphis, TN, where the tumor was removed at Le Bonheur a few days later.

Because of the wonderful local doctors who moved very quickly, they were able to catch the tumor early, and Theo's surgery resulted in a gross total resection. Pathology quickly gave his diagnosis of AT/RT, subtype TYR. He recovered very well from surgery, and after a few weeks back home spending time with family and friends, they returned to Memphis to begin treatment at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. His pre-treatment scans and lumbar puncture confirmed the gross total resection and showed NED, which his family is so grateful for.

Theo is being treated based on the SJYCO7 protocol. This consists of four rounds of high-dose chemotherapy, six weeks of proton radiation, and further chemo to finish the treatment plan. He has been through his first two rounds and is handling it like a champ so far.

His family shares, “It's a long road ahead, but we know Theo can beat this and live a long and healthy life!”