Evan Lanning

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On November 15th Evan was admitted to the hospital after a scheduled MRI.  He is currently at Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC with the diagnosis of brain tumor in the upper part of the brain stem with complete blockage.  Prior to the MRI he was suffering for over a year with severe headaches.  In the beginning we thought maybe it was his eyesight, but his eyesight was perfect.  
Next, we scheduled an appointment with his primary care physician.  At the first appointment, the doctor suggested that maybe it was migraines. In addition to the physical exam, he ordered a complete blood count to evaluate his overall health and/or detect a wide range of disorders, including anemia, infection and leukemia.  Everything came back within normal range or better.  During his follow up appointment his primary care doctor decided he should be seen by a neurologist.  
Unfortunately, the process of obtaining a referral and seeing the specialist is not always a speedy one.  The day finally came for his appointment with the neurologist and we were excited to finally get some answers for him.  By this time, however, Evan was experiencing nausea, vomiting, fatigue and tremors in addition to the severe headaches, now more frequent.  The neurologist was wonderful.  He did a thorough evaluation and ordered an MRI.
Due to the red tape involved with insurance companies, we had to wait for approval from the insurance company before we could even schedule the appointment for the MRI.  It was taking forever.  Several phone calls and multiple conversations later, it was finally approved.     
After the MRI was completed, he was immediately taken to the emergency department at Berkley Medical Center.  After consulting with the Neurosurgeon there, he was transported by ambulance to Inova Fairfax Children's Hospital for further evaluation and treatment.  In order to have him treated by the best neurosurgeon From there he was transferred to Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC.  Nothing in life can ever prepare you for the shock that takes over your body as you hear the words brain tumor and your child's name in the same sentence.  It is terrifying, like the air you need to breathe is gone and everything around you has stopped.  From that point on it is a whirlwind of hospitals, nurses, doctors, surgeons and information being thrown at you.