Cole Gretz

Cole was diagnosed with an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (Stage 4) today. He was fine  only a few weeks ago but started to have several symptoms over the last 10 days or so that became progressively worse. He experienced pain in his abdomen (attributed to acid reflux at the time), jaw pain with  numbness around his chin, cold sweats, a strange rash on his body, and stomach upset that was getting progressively worse. Bloodwork done at his doctor's appointment yesterday was very alarming, and he was sent to the ER where he was given a whirlwind of CT scans, an ultrasound, and additional bloodwork. Scans showed an enlarged liver with visible masses, so he was admitted last night and had a bone marrow biopsy this morning. We  got the diagnoses a few hours ago. He had an MRI on his head this afternoon, and will have several tests tomorrow as well to help determine the course of action. Chemo is expected to  start tomorrow, and the Oncologist will determine if she recommends transferring Cole to a hospital in Baltimore if needed.

This is obviously quite a shock, and we are still processing it all. I can say that Cole is in good spirits at the moment and has decided he will go crazy on his hair- maybe a mohawk?- before it falls out due to the chemo. (He's also sworn he will never grow his hair this long again, so there's that!).

We would appreciate it if you would send thoughts/prayers/positive vibes to him! We will keep you updated on his progress when we have additional details.