10/28/2025
6 months ago today we got the news no parent ever wants to receive, “your son has cancer.”. To say that the last six months have been easy would be such a lie. We’ve faced many struggles and hardships and we still have til September 2026 of this journey to go.
For our new followers who don’t know Mavericks story, I would like to share it with you. In early March I noticed the right side of Mavs face had a slight droop. I took him to the emergency room on a Sunday and they did a CT. It showed fluid in his right ear. The following Monday we went to his pediatrician and she diagnosed him with an ear infection & Bells Palsy. He did a full round of antibiotics & steroids for a week. We noticed his Bells Palsy was getting worse & his right side of his face was completely paralyzed, so we went back to his pediatrician and she told us to go to LeBonheur emergency room asap for another CT & a CT with contrast. I asked for an MRI, I knew he’d be sedated, but we’d be at LeBonheur so I know there would be no better place to have it done than there. His pediatrician said she didn’t find that necessary. So we went to LeBonheur and they did the CTs and said the same as his pediatrician, ear infection & Bells Palsy. We were sent home with another round of steroids and antibiotics and were told to follow up with his pediatrician in a week. We completed the antibiotics and steroids & still no change. His ear was worse, so bad to the point it was bleeding & had something protruding from his ear. At our follow up, we were referred to ENT for tubes to hopefully resolve his ear infection. We were a month into this and just wanted Mav better, so we went for tubes. His tubes were scheduled to be placed on April 16th. The ENT was able to place a tube in his left ear, but his right ear was just too “infected” to put a tube in, so his ENT took a biopsy of the gunk in his ear and sent it off, not knowing what was to come. That same day, his ENT here referred us to another ENT at LeBonheur to clean his ear out and also do a mastoidectomy due to the “infection” spreading to the bone. Maverick underwent that surgery on April 18th and it went beautifully. That ENT also sent off a biopsy of the gunk from his ear and mastoid. During our stay at LeBonheur, Maverick was also diagnosed with MRSA. So we started a new antibiotic for that as well that he had to take for a month. After his surgeries both went so well, we thought Maverick would soon be on the mend and everything would go back to normal. We were wrong.
Fast forward to a week after we were discharged from LeBonheur, April 28th. Maverick had a follow up appointment with our ENT here just to check his tubes. Michael and I went to work like normal because it was just a follow up appointment. Or so we thought. My mom and step dad took Mav to his appointment. While at work, I get a FaceTime from my mom, not expecting to hear what I was fixing to hear. When I answered, it was Mavs ENT. My heart sank. I knew something was wrong. He set into explaining that Mavs tube in his left ear looked wonderful, and told me how strong he was. He then said that the biopsy he and the ENT from LeBonheur took came back. He told me that it came back as Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare type of soft tissue cancer. The word “sarcoma” made my entire body go numb. All I could say was “You’re telling me my 2 year old has cancer?”. He apologized over and over again and proceeded to tell me that he knows Mav is going to be okay and he’s going to overcome this. He promised me we would have the best of care at St. Jude and that the ENT from LeBonheur also worked at St. Jude so we would get to continue seeing her as well. I called Michael while he was at work and told him the news and he froze. Our whole world was turned upside down in a matter of seconds. What multiple doctors said was an ear infection and Bells Palsy, was actually cancer. The gunk that was taken out of his ear was actually his tumor. His tumor started in his middle ear, moved to his inner ear and mastoid, and also attached to his right facial nerves, causing his face to droop. Part of me still wishes I would have pushed harder and advocated more for an MRI to see what was really going on, because deep down I knew it wasn’t just an ear infection. Cancer never crossed my mind.
It’s truly a gut wrenching thing to watch someone you love, especially your own child, fight for their life at such a young age. Watching them be injected with poison (chemo) once a week. Watching them handle the side effects from chemo and not understand why they feel so bad. Having to watch their hair fall out from chemo. Having to see the light die from their eyes as the chemo moves into their system. It drains them. It has been a very humbling experience and it really makes you appreciate the little things and the good times that are few and far between during treatments.
Today, 6 months in to the fight for Mavericks life, he is doing amazing! His tumor responded very well to the 6 weeks of proton radiation & 21 weeks of chemo. He still has 21 treatments left of the big stuff & we will finally move on to maintenance chemo to officially kick this rhabdo to the curb! His right facial nerves are back to normal, so his face is just like it was before, just with a handsome little crooked smile. Mav is handling each treatment with such bravery and strength, his daddy and brother and I just admire him so much for how strong he is. He is so tough through each port access and blood draw. He is so patient with his nurses and doctors and has even come around to giving them lovings before he leaves! He is truly a little superhero!
We hope that you all know that we are so thankful for all of your prayers and love throughout this journey. To live in such a loving and caring community is such a blessing. We ask that you continue to pray for Maverick. Pray he continues to respond well to treatment and keep being brave. Continue praying for his daddy and I as we strive to be the best advocates for Mav when he can’t say what or how he’s feeling. Continue to pray for our village because without them, we truly don’t know what we would do.
He may be small, but he is mighty! He is ! 💙
