Meet Ryder Maciaszek. It was 2021 and he was 6-years old, a seemingly happy guy, loving sports. Ryder began to have breathing problems through his nose, especially when trying to sleep. Ryder's parents took him to the pediatrician and they didn't see anything, except that his tonsils and adenoids were enlarged, so Ryder had surgery to remove those. It did not change his symptoms, and he started having headaches and decreased hearing. The pediatrician said it was normal for a kid to have headaches. It was now September of 2021 and Ryder had the flu shot; the next morning he passed out and was vomiting. Ryan and Stephanie took their son to the emergency room, where one of the doctors wanted Ryder to have an emergent MRI. Ryan and Stephanie were given devastating news. Ryder had a mass in his brain that measured 4.5x5cm. The mass is called a Clival Chordoma, a rare slow growing and chemo resistant malignant tumor. This cancer is a rare form of cancer originating from bone cells, which happens in 1 of 5 million children. He has had 5 endoscopic brain surgeries to remove the mass that Fall in Pittsburgh, and then received 38 proton therapy sessions (radiation) in Boston in the summer of 2022. After a 9-month span of stable scans, Ryder started having double vision and he lost control of his left eye. Unfortunately the tumor grew back through his 6th optic nerve and as a result it has turned his eye in. In November, Ryder endured his 6th endoscopic surgery to remove the tumor from the 6th optic nerve. Although the surgeons believe they were able to remove the tumor, we will not know officially until his next set of scans. Ryder is still experiencing double vision and although there is a slight chance of the nerve regenerating on its own, the family has not seen any progress yet. His last scan showed a new growth, this tumor is pressing on one of the nerves of swallowing. Right now, Ryder is not eating well, possibly due to the tumor pressing on a nerve of swallowing. Thursday, August 15, 2024, Ryder will begin Immunotherapy and his team of doctors are searching for a medication that may shrink this tumor as it is inoperable. Ryder is an athlete who misses his sports greatly and still dreams of getting back to the activities he used to love so much.

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