Braiden- DIPG

An update from Braiden's family:

Braiden's surgery for his biopsy proceeded today. Surgery was completed without complications, although it went longer than expected.The outcome after waiting was not what any family wants to hear. The surgeon took Megan and Shaun aside and delivered the gutwrenching news that the original diagnosis was reconfirmed, Braiden has the life threatening DIPG and there is no operation or cure for our precious beautiful little boy. Braiden now faces 6 weeks of radiation therapy which will hopefully prolong and increase the quality of what little time he has left. Please understand and allow Braidens family and I the time to process this news. I apologise for the lack of updates of late, more will follow when i am able to collect my thoughts in a more coherent manner.

Braiden is an Australian boy recently diagnosed with aggressive DIPG...

He is just 4 years old...

Thanks to Public Donations there was almost $125,000 raised for his surgery for Dr Charlie Teo and team at Westmead Children's Hospital in Sydney...

The public medical system said to 'take him home...'

Teo operated on Braiden and took a biopsy that confirmed DIPG...

Sadly, due to the nature of DIPG, there will be No Major Operation to Save his Life...

DIPG (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma) is in the top of Pons part of the brain stem...

Surgery is equivalent of operating on your computer processor in a very small confined space...

It doesn't work...

Braiden will have 6 weeks of radiotherapy to slow the tumour growth and give his family time to say goodbye...

From Braiden's Family:

"Ms Whitwell said that if this morning’s biopsy returned an unfavourable result for Braiden and the money raised by the community was not needed to fund an operation, the money would be donated to brain cancer research and Ronald McDonald House charities, with a portion reserved for Braiden’s funeral expenses."

Thank You to all the Kind People that Donated to Braiden's Cause...

I wish we had better news to tell you...

There is good research being done on DIPG and ways of treating it...

We are sadly not there yet...

Thanks to You, with money for research, we are getting closer...