| Youngster in fight of his life with help of family, friends | | Posted: Wednesday, June 19, 2013 9:18 pm
| By KEVIN BOWDEN
Staff Reporter
He is only 3 years old, but Brock “Conner” Griffin of Union City is waging an all-out fight for his life at a Memphis hospital.
It’s cancer and it’s robbing the toddler of any sense of a normal childhood. For his family, well, they’re doing the best they can under the circumstances.
It’s not been easy.
There are the financial burdens associated with having to deal with the disease — medical bills and travel expenses.
Then there is the emotional toll. Being away from their young daughter, their family, their normal life in Union City.
Conner is the son of Brock and Ali (Osborne) Griffin of Union City.
He was born April 25, 2010.
Young Conner was originally taken to the emergency room at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis after experiencing severe neck pain.
“It got really bad,” Conner’s grandmother, LeAnn Wilson, told The Messenger. She said Conner was throwing up and was bent over backwards.
He was in the emergency room at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital on a Saturday (March 23) and by 7 a.m. on Sunday he was undergoing surgery to remove the tumor that was about the size of a large egg at the base of his brain.
“He was in surgery nearly eight hours,” Mrs. Wilson said. “Because of where the tumor was located, they gave us a high percentage he would have some hearing loss, some vision loss, some speech problems and would probably lose some of his motor skills. But the surgery went better than even the doctors thought.”
Conner has not had any of the predicted problems related to his surgery. Following the surgery, test results confirmed the tumor was cancerous (endoplasmic ependymoma) and Conner began his chemotherapy on April 12 at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Prior to his being diagnosed with cancer, Conner was “so energetic … he loved to play … he was very talkative and outgoing,” according to Mrs. Wilson.
Now he is spending his days in a cancer clinic dealing with chemotherapy, with radiation treatments planned in the near future.
“They told us the protocol is 10 to 12 months of chemotherapy or longer,” Mrs. Wilson said.
He is scheduled to begin about six to eight weeks of radiation therapy in late August at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
As a patient at the Memphis hospital, Conner has made several new friends, including a young girl there — Bella from England.
Mrs. Wilson said doctors have informed the family that Conner’s cancer is “very rare and aggressive,” but there is a 97 percent success rate in treating the cancer. However, it is something that Conner will have to watch for the rest of his life.
A special benefit for Conner has been set for Saturday at Abernathy’s Harley-Davidson™ on West Main Street in Union City. The money raised through the event will help the family deal with its expenses.
The Griffins have been spending as much time as possible with their son while he has been going through his cancer treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Conner’s father works on the Mississippi River, but has been spending as much time as he can with his wife and son in Memphis.
They helped Conner celebrate his third birthday a couple of months ago at the Memphis hospital.
Conner has a 7-month-old sister, Addison. His grandparents include Mrs. Wilson and her husband, Clint Wilson, of Hornbeak and John and Tanya Long of Troy. They were all there for Conner’s birthday party at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
He is a big fan of the animated character SpongeBob Squarepants, so it seemed only appropriate that should be the theme for his birthday party.
“We had confetti and balloons, and the staff at St. Jude came and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ and gave him a gift,” Mrs. Wilson said. “It was really neat.”
As for gifts, “he received tons,” according to Mrs. Wilson. In addition to clothes and Hot Wheels®, Conner also got several Toy Story-themed gifts for his birthday.
“He’s handling it well. He knows something is wrong, but he doesn’t quite understand it,” Mrs. Wilson said.
Young Conner has a port, which he refers to as his “buddy.”
“He’s really cautious with it,” Mrs. Wilson said.
As for the family, Mrs. Wilson said they are handling things with the help of family, friends and their faith in God.
“We’re doing well. We are taking it day-by-day and giving it to the Lord,” she said.
The support from their church — Walnut Log Baptist Church — has “been a real blessing,” she added.
There is a goal to raise at least $30,000 for the family to help with all the medical and travel expenses. Already more than $21,000 has been raised through a recent motorcycle run and a benefit at Walnut Log Baptist Church.
For Conner’s family, Mrs. Wilson said they are looking forward to getting past the cancer treatments and getting Conner back home.
Published in The Messenger 6.19.13 | | | | |
