Meet Tucker, a brave little boy who was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor condition at 5 years old.  Two years later, Tuckers still bravely continues to fight with his fierce mama by his side!  Read about his journey as told by his mom below:

Tell us about your warrior and their journey: 

Tucker was 5 years old when we took him to the local ER because he was complaining of “seeing copies.” An MRI discovered a brain tumor. We were taken by ambulance to Lucille Packard in Palo Alto, Ca. where he underwent emergency brain surgery. While there, another MRI revealed 2 more brain tumors located on his vestibular nerves. We were told that having these tumors on each hearing nerve is a hallmark sign of a rare tumor predisposition disorder called NF2. Genetic testing later confirmed this diagnosis. Since diagnosis, many more tumors have been discovered in Tucker’s brain and spine. Now, in 2024, Tucker’s doctors are concerned that he has accumulated too many tumors that have caused too many symptoms to “wait and watch” anymore. We will be going to the Bay in late May to discuss the treatment they think would benefit him. NF2 is caused by a mutation in a tumor suppressor gene, causing patients to accumulate more and more tumors throughout their lives. These tumors mostly affect nerves in the brain and the spine, causing eventual deafness in all patients, and depending on the individual, can cause blindness, seizures, paralysis, and more. NF2 manifests in ways that are different than we typically think of when talking about oncologic conditions, as fighting NF2 is more of a “marathon” than a “sprint”. The tumors are slow-growing, but individual circumstances can cause malignant growth. However, the mutation is encoded in the person’s DNA, meaning there is no “remission” for individuals affected. Tucker understands as much about his condition as a (now) 7-year-old can, but he never lets it bring him down. He is so bright and full of energy! He loves to play outside with his friends, hang out with his cousins, bake with his big sister, and read and snuggle with me (mom). He likes to play video games, skateboard (he’s really good!) and be silly. There’s never a dull moment when he’s around! He brings so much love and laughter to those around him, and he will continue to do so as he fights to bring awareness to CURE this cruel disease!

How has NNCCF impacted your family’s journey? 

NNCCF has been such a blessing to our lives by helping us to afford our crazy travel expenses! We love our Sparks/Reno area, but unfortunately, we do not have doctors here who specialize in his condition to treat and monitor his tumor growth. We need to travel out of state every three months just for monitoring. This is not even counting the numerous times we’ve had to travel under urgent circumstances. Thank you, NNCCF!

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