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 was first treated based on the SJYCO7 protocol. This consisted of four rounds of high-dose chemotherapy, six weeks of proton radiation, and further chemo to finish the treatment plan.

Theo was doing well on his treatment plan and he finished his radiation in October, but unfortunately his next set of scans showed he had relapsed in multiple places in his brain. As of January 2026, he is getting ready to start a modified MEMMAT protocol in hopes that it will control his tumors long enough to reach his third birthday so that we can try CSI radiation. 

Through all the treatment, Theo has been so brave and resilient. 

His family shares, “We are so proud of him and are cherishing every moment we have together. It's a long road ahead, but we know Theo can beat this and live a long and healthy life!”