“In those early weeks when everything felt dark, Kids Cancer Care became the shining light. They helped us feel like we weren’t alone.” — Zach’s parents
During the fall of 2022, Zach was a busy 12-year-old in grade 7, who loved to spend time hanging out with his friends, playing video games and training with his soccer club the Calgary Villains. Soccer was Zach’s passion, and he had dreams of maybe one day becoming a professional player!
Into the winter of that year, Zach began noticing some weakness in his right hand. He had fallen while playing in a soccer game and initially everyone including the doctor thought the weakness was due to a hand injury. But the weakness didn’t improve. He also started having migraine headaches around this time. We didn’t put together that the two symptoms might be related. It was on a ski trip with family and friends in February of 2023, when we realized Zach couldn’t straighten his fingers enough to get a ski glove on. When we got Zach into see our family doctor that same week, he immediately recognized Zach’s symptoms as neurologic and arranged to have him be seen at Alberta Children’s hospital the following day. Even after that assessment was complete, the doctors still weren’t sure what was causing his weakness.
An MRI a week later revealed the answer. Zach had a tumour in the left side of his brain. It was the size of a mandarin orange. Our world crashed down on us in an instant. Zach was immediately admitted to the hospital, and we were told he would be having surgery that very next morning. The tumour was in a very sensitive part of his brain, and it had grown in such a way that it was pressing on the nerves that were responsible for his motor function.
The next morning, Zach underwent a 6.5 hour surgery to remove the tumour. His surgeon had warned us that because of where the tumour was located, his motor function might be impacted longer term. Luckily, the surgeon was able to remove the entire tumour. Then more good news came when the biopsy revealed that the tumour was grade 1 and was determined to be a pilocytic astrocytoma. The relief we felt knowing Zach would likely not have to go through any chemotherapy or radiation treatment was huge. But what we weren’t aware of yet was that Zach would still be facing a different battle as he began to recover.
Within 24 hours of the surgery, it became clear Zach was suffering from a condition called aphasia, where he couldn’t find the words he needed to speak. We were terrified Zach might not be able to speak again. And as he began to regain his strength in the days after his surgery, it became clear that his motor function on the right side of his body, specifically his hand and foot was significantly impacted. Zach spent almost three weeks in the hospital recovering and working with a team of speech, physical and occupational therapists. Much to our relief, he did regain his speech, but Zach would have to learn to walk again and try to regain the function of his right hand and foot.
It’s been 2 years since Zach’s diagnosis and brain surgery, and he has made a tremendous recovery in that time. He was quickly able to progress from using a walker and then a cane in the first few weeks out of the hospital. He now relies on an ankle foot orthotic (AFO) brace to help him walk and run. And although he still does not have full motor function in his right hand (he’s now a leftie!) it too has improved. He continues to work regularly with both occupational and physiotherapists to regain function and he’s even been able to return to the sport he loves through an adaptive sport program for soccer!
Kids Cancer Care has been with us through much of Zach’s journey post-surgery and they have helped us in countless ways. In those early weeks and months when it became clear just how significantly Zach’s motor function was impacted, Kids Cancer Care became the shining light, guiding us through our next steps when everything was so dark and we all felt lost. Firstly, and most importantly, Kids Cancer Care made sure there were ample opportunities for Zach to be a kid again and just have fun doing things like going to Calgary Flames games and getting to meet players. And because Zach misses so much school for medical appointments, Kids Cancer Care has provided him with the most wonderful tutor who comes weekly to our house to help him stay on top of his schoolwork.
Zach also participates in the Kids Cancer Care PEER program which helps kids recover from cancer through the use of exercise and activity. He has weekly 1-on-1 sessions with an exercise therapist, and is about to start on a 12-week exercise program with a Kids Cancer Care volunteer at the YMCA. Zach also had an opportunity to give back to Kids Cancer Care by participating in the 2024 High Hopes Challenge where he was paired with an awesome Calgary business leader to help raise funds. Our entire family has been supported in so many different ways by this wonderful organization. At the end of the day, most importantly, Kids Cancer Care has let us know that we are not alone on this journey.
