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Rafael Arias has lots to contend with, including four older sisters to “mother” him and then, just a year ago, doctors discovered a brain tumor. That’s a lot for a five-year-old boy.
There is good news in Rafael’s story, though! After surgery to try to remove the tumor, a very special kind of treatment was provided: proton beam therapy. It is good news because there is a proton beam/oncology program at Shands Jacksonville, one of Wolfson’s partners for sick children. This new cancer treatment is especially useful in treating brain tumors without damaging the healthy tissue surrounding them. And it’s having remarkable success for children with cancer.
The other really good news is that Rafael has almost completed his chemotherapy and has done very well with it. He is chomping at the bit to be back full time with his buddies at Argyle Elementary School!
Rafael learned that life in a children’s hospital like Wolfson can be pretty enjoyable, too! Before his surgery last October, he got to go home for trick or treating with his friends. And another Wolfson partner, Dreams Come True, had a big surprise waiting for him. Rafael’s family “dreamed” of a family vacation to Disney World, and off they went!
On another day, Jaguars player Montell Owens dropped by his hospital room and gave Rafael a Jaguar helmet, jersey and pants. That’s huge for someone who loves football like Rafael does!
Speaking of football, another program for children with cancer is The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation, which was created in 1996 in honor of Jay McGillis, a young man who developed leukemia while a member of the Boston College football team. Then BC’s head football coach, Coach Coughlin, inspired by the courage and perseverance of Jay and his family, vowed to help families struggling with the stresses of cancer if he ever had the opportunity.
It’s not unusual to find The Jay Fund helping patients like Rafael at Wolfson because Wolfson is a place where things like this can happen. The playrooms, Jaguar Den, and video games all have helped Rafael keep his mind on getting well and off cancer.
Wolfson is glad it has so much to offer to help our sick and vulnerable children feel better and get well. Rafael has experienced it first-hand and certainly agrees. |
