If you know Emile, you know that he loves a good challenge. Whether he's joyfully biking up and down mountains in Costa Rica's rain and mud, gearing up for a kick-off against a top team on the rugby pitch, carrying two children and two carseats through the airport while maintaining good humor, or pursuing HUGE academic dreams with passion and vigor, Emile is unfailingly inspired and invigorated when facing a good test.
For the past few months, Emile has been mentioning a need to visit an eye doctor. Last weekend, the vision changes that he had been noticing seemed to get suddenly worse, and were accompanied by a headache he couldn't ignore. A trip to the doctor sent him to the emergency room and then to Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience, where we discovered an unwelcome visitor in Emile's brain - a tumor, likely cancer of the glial cells, in his visual cortex. Emile will be having surgery on Friday January 4th to remove as much as the tumor as possible, and will begin radiation and chemotherapy after a few weeks of recovery from surgery to help us evict this uninvited trespasser.
Brain cancer will be Emile's next big challenge. It will probably be less fun than a mountain bike race, rugby match or research challenge. But we are up for the fight! Especially with good friends beside us, near and far. Emile is incredibly strong, and actually part super-hero. Our family and home are overflowing with love and joy. We feel incredibly lucky to have an amazing team of doctors working with us, and beyond lucky to feel so much loving support from friends and neighbors as we face the difficult road ahead.
We will use this website to update you all when we have things to share as this journey progresses.
With love, strength and gratitude, Stephanie, Emile, Clara & Atticus.
