An Unexpected Turn for Baby Charlie — Cancer Diagnoses
In November 2020, Charlie was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Nick, Charlie’s dad, shared, “We received some very unfortunate news. We found out midweek that Charlie has cancer .. it’s bad and rare (350 people per year). Open chest surgery on Monday to remove tissue that had been surrounding the tumor they laparoscopically removed with four incisions last week.”
In another post, Nick shared that Charlie had “completed two rounds out of 30 anticipated rounds of chemo, at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. There have been days when he has ‘normal’ amounts of energy, and there have been days when he’s had less, Nick explains.
Nick and Brooklyn practice gratefulness as much as possible. Nick shared about the blessing of being stuck in traffic after one of Charlie’s treatments.
“On our way back from Cincy this week, an accident that damaged a bridge resulted in us being stuck in traffic, in park, with no where to go, for 8 solid hours. At first, all I thought about was the terrible inconvenience. But ironically, the longer we sat there with the engine off, surrounded on all sides by big rigs, the more clearly I could see the blessing. There we were … Charlie, Brooklyn, and me… together… safe… making each other laugh, singing silly songs, and just loving each other – just loving being together. And since we weren’t moving, we both snuck in some snuggle time with Charlie. Sometimes life forces us to slow down, and I ended up being grateful for the time together… grateful to be locked in a minivan, parked on an interstate… for 8 hours with my best little buddy.”
Charlie’s mom, Brooklyn, also posted on Facebook about a second cancer diagnosis in 2021.
“Charlie was recently diagnosed with Basal Cell Carcinoma Syndrome – skin cancer that can continuously reoccur. So far, doctors have confirmed malignant spots. We’re not sure what stage and what the treatment plan will be. They plan to biopsy more places of concern while we are in Cincinnati. This is his second cancer diagnosis in 12 months,” Brooklyn explained.
