Tyson’s Radiothon Story

After a football practice last September, Christine was concerned that her son, Tyson, had suffered a concussion. She brought him to the Alberta Children’s Hospital Emergency room to be assessed. As Tyson’s condition continued to deteriorate in the ER, the doctor ordered a CT Scan. That scan led to a repeat scan to verify the devastating findings…Tyson had a large mass in his brain.

Within a few hours, Tyson and Christine were meeting with several neurologists and neurosurgeons who advised that surgery to remove the tumour in the next 24 hours would be necessary. However, as the day progressed, Tyson began to have struggles breathing and his oxygen saturation levels began to fall dangerously low so surgery needed to happen immediately. Christine was so impressed and amazed by her brave boy who asked multiple questions of the surgeon regarding the operation – specifically what regions of the brain they would be working in and how they would go about it all.

After Tyson woke from the 4.5 hour surgery, it was heartbreaking to learn that he was completely paralyzed on the left side of his body and had distorted vision in his right eye. After a few days of recovery in the PICU, Tyson moved to Unit 3 and started the long road of rehabilitation. A committed athlete, Tyson was in the best possible shape going into the surgery and was highly motivated to begin physical and occupational therapy. With incredible determination, he transitioned from a wheelchair directly to walking unassisted with a brace. With all his hard work and support from the PT/OT team, he has regained about 85% of his movement.

During this time, though, the family received another blow. The tumour was malignant. Glioblastoma multiforme. The surgery had successfully removed about 80-90% of the mass, but high dose radiation was required to attack and kill off the remaining tumour. Ever positive, Tyson approached this treatment with enthusiasm and would hum the 70s disco tune, “Burn Baby Burn” as he lay in the radiation unit.

Christine marvels at her son’s strength in the face of this unthinkable challenge. He’s an inspiration to his family, friends, teammates and entire medical team. While the treatment road ahead is uncertain, Tyson battles with courage and an unbelievably positive attitude. “I’ll fight this until I can’t fight anymore.”