2 Years Old at Diagnosis
Tahj was an active two year old in August, 2011, who loved to play sports and eat ice cream. So, when he lost his appetite, began complaining of back pain, and had a low grade fever, his mom, Jennifer, knew he just wasn’t himself. She took him to the emergency room. After many tests, Jennifer and Tahj’s life changed. Doctors said that Tahj had stage IV, high-risk neuroblastoma.
As she absorbed this information and prepared to Tahj to begin treatment, Jennifer searched for more information about his diagnosis and learned that neuroblastoma is diagnosed in about 650 children a year and is most commonly found in children under the age of two.
Tahj began treatment right away, undergoing six rounds of chemotherapy followed by surgery to remove the tumor. He also had two stem cell transplants that required two rounds of high dose chemotherapy and 12 rounds of radiation. Then, Tahj completed his treatment with 6 months of immunotherapy. He was officially said to be in remission on January 15, 2013.
Throughout treatment, Jennifer referred to the CureSearch website for information about Tahj’s treatment and what they could expect. This year, she was encouraged by one of Tahj’s nurses to join the Orlando CureSearch Walk. Wanting to support the organization whose educational resources had been so helpful, Jennifer decided to participate in the event. She loved seeing all the kids that are survivors thanks to the research and educational resources that CureSearch provides and funds.
Tahj is now nearly 4 years old. He loves Spiderman and playing all kinds of sports. His family describes him as a happy, loving, and caring child with a heart of gold who would do anything for other kids like him.
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