Stephen is our six year old grandson who was diagnosed with Brain Stem Glioma Thanksgiving Day, 2013. This is his story, and how our life was changed in a moment and will seemingly never be the same.

On Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 2013, our son and daughter-in-law, Philip and Jodi Gibson took Stephen to the Emergency Room because they noticed that Stephen was not able to control the movement of his eye.

A CAT scan revealed a growth on the base of his brain near the spinal cord, and doctors decided immediately to perform a biopsy to try and remove the growth.

They were able to remove 60% of the growth, and tests performed on the tumor showed it was cancerous, specifically, Brainstem Glioma, an aggressive and dangerous cancer that typically starts in the brain or spinal cord tissue and can spread throughout the nervous system. While thankful 60% of the growth was removed, the unreachable interior of the brain stem still contains cancer.

After much research and prayer, Stephen was accepted at St. Jude’s in Memphis for treatment, and lived there with his parents having to split duty so the other could be at home with our granddaughter, Amy, and for Jodi to continue to work. Stephen was a trooper, never crying or complaining, and a special blessing was that he continued to eat during his treatment there, whereas other children had no appetite at all. St. Jude’s is an amazing facility but not every case reaches a successful conclusion, and for Stephen, there was no Plan B.

Philip and Stephen returned to Jacksonville and Stephen had no treatments for a month. The latest MRI showed the tumor to be stable, not having enlarged significantly, which was a major answer to prayer. He has begun a round of chemo treatment at Wolfson Children’s Hospital here in Jacksonville.

This entire challenge has been an emotional nightmare and feels like an up-hill battle. The reality is that we don’t know what the outcome will be as the doctors did not offer much hope. The reality is his parents are balancing trying to keep their family on an even keel, continually taking Stephen to doctors’ appointments, treatment sessions, therapy, while trying to maintain a normal family life. As one can imagine, the toll is huge; physically, emotionally and financially.

This website is to bring awareness to as many people as possible so many can pray for Stephen, and hopefully donate the funds that will keep this fa