Connor Hall

Connor Hall is a beautiful 12 year old boy who grew up in Durham, NC. He is the son of Lori and Gray....and the brother of Ryan. He was born in May of 2004 at UNC Hospitals. He is a 7th grader at St. Thomas More Catholic School in Chapel Hill, NC. February 4th of this year, on a Saturday, Connor went outside in our neighborhood to run a couple of miles. A couple of hours after he returned to our house he displayed symptoms of nausea, headache and lack of balance. We originally thought he had a migraine headache. But the symptoms persisted into Sunday. So we took him to the doctor Monday morning. His primary care physician, Dr. Sarah Ruff,  quickly ruled out mono or meningitis. She asked us to take Connor to the emergency room at UNC Hospitals. We did so.....and over the course of many doctors, many tests and two MRIs.....it was revealed that our son has a brain tumor. This tumor was causing a blockage of cerebral spinal fluid that generally flows throughout the brain. This blockage created a dangerous level of hydro-static pressure in his brain. This was what was causing his symptoms over the weekend. As a result, Connor was admitted Monday night and had surgery Tuesday morning. This surgery had two goals. First, Dr. Elton and his team alleviated the abnormal pressure in Connor's brain. Second, the team collected samples of the tumor for biopsy analysis. Since the surgery last Tuesday (2/7), Connor has steadily gained strength and confidence. His headaches, dizziness and balance issues are gone. The only lasting effect from the surgery has been his vision which has greatly recovered......but still has some issues with double vision. The doctors say this is typical with brain trauma/surgery. And that Connor should fully regain his normal vision in the next few weeks. The biopsy results are still being processed. The pediatric oncology team at UNC Hospitals, led by Dr. Patrick Thompson, will give us complete presentation this Friday on how they intend to remove the tumor.

So many people have been extremely supportive of our family in this very challenging time. So many hugs, prayers, cards, gifts and food items are simply humbling. This will be a journey for Connor. And we are thankful you all will be taking it with us. We will post new information to this website to keep everyone up-to-date. Thank you and God bless you.