The community has rallied behind a 16-year-old Sunshine Coast boy diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, raising more than $69,000 to help fund his treatment in the United States.
Aidan and his family flew to San Francisco on July 12, where he will attend initial appointments with the medical team at Stanford University Hospital ahead of surgery.
The teenager was recently diagnosed with clival chordoma, a rare cancer that has left him with a tumour about the size of a tennis ball at the base of his brain.
A GoFundMe page set up by Alicia Gowing to support Aidan’s treatment said the tumour was located behind his eyes and nose and is wrapped around major arteries and nerves connecting his brain to the rest of his body.
“If it’s left untreated, it will keep growing and cause permanent, life-threatening damage,” Aidan wrote on the fundraising page.
Aidan said his diagnosis came shortly after he turned 16, with his birthday celebrations overshadowed by the news.
“For weeks now, I’ve been dealing with excruciating headaches that have completely stopped me from doing the things I love,” he said.
Before his diagnosis, Aidan said he was completing Year 10 at trade school, working out at the gym, spending time with friends, working part-time, and looking forward to beginning his driving journey and securing an apprenticeship.
“Now, all of that is on hold,” he said.
The GoFundMe said the cancer affects less than one in a million people and requires complete removal to give Aidan the best chance of long-term survival.
“If even a little bit is left behind, it will almost certainly grow back and spread,” the page said.
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Aidan’s family made the decision to seek treatment in the United States after Brisbane medical teams raised concerns about safely removing the entire tumour due to its size and location.
The fundraising page said Aidan had been accepted for treatment by Dr Fernandez-Miranda, a neurosurgeon at Stanford Hospital who specialises in skull base tumours.
“Because he has so much experience with cases like this, he has a much better chance of successfully removing the entire tumour while protecting my surrounding brain tissue,” Aidan said.
The family is self-funding the overseas treatment, including medical costs, travel and accommodation, as the procedure is not covered by Australian health insurance or Medicare.
Aidan said the surgery was his best chance at returning to a normal life with minimal long-term impacts.
“I’m only 16, and I have so much life left to live,” he said.
“Getting this surgery in the States is my absolute best chance at surviving this and getting back to my normal life with minimal long-term impacts.”
The fundraiser said Aidan will likely require radiation treatment following surgery, but the immediate focus was on his operation.
“Any donation, no matter how small, will take a massive weight off my family’s shoulders as we fight to get my future back,” Aidan wrote.
Sunshine Coast News has contacted Aidan’s family through GoFundMe representatives for comment.
