BA family says son was able to beat brain cancer right here in Tulsa thanks to St. Jude
A Broken Arrow family said their son was able to beat brain cancer right here in Tulsa thanks to St. Jude. A family from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, has revealed that their son, Grayson Stiger, was able to beat brain cancer in Tulsa, thanks to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The main hospital in Memphis is leading the way in understanding, treating, and curing childhood cancer. St Jude also has an affiliate clinic in Tulsa at The Children’s Hospital at Saint Francis. The Stigers never had to leave their jobs or their daughter behind to travel to Memphis for treatment. Grayson underwent brain surgery and underwent physical therapy and occupational therapy after his brain surgery. He now only requires an MRI every two years.
发表 : 10 个月前 经过 在 Health
BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — A Broken Arrow family said their son was able to beat brain cancer right here in Tulsa thanks to St. Jude.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats, and cures childhood cancer. FOX23 has traveled to the main hospital in Memphis and shared stories about the work they're doing.
However, St. Jude also has an affiliate clinic right here in Tulsa at The Children’s Hospital at Saint Francis.
FOX23 Morning Anchor Michelle Linn spoke with a local family who never had to leave Green Country when doctors diagnosed their son with brain cancer.
In 2019, when Grayson Stiger was six years old, his mom, Michelle, knew something was wrong.
“We didn't know, we just kept being told it was the flu, then we were diagnosed with strep, they thought it was mono,” Michelle said.
Michelle told FOX23 they struggled for months to figure out what was wrong.
The full blood panel came back normal. Finally, an MRI found the problem.
“The pediatrician just said get to the office as soon as you can,” Michelle said.
That was when she found out her son had a brain tumor.
“I saw the tumor for the first time, I’ll never forget it, it was just sick, that's in my kid's brain, it was big,” she said.
“I remember walking out of the pediatrician's office, and I just fell apart,” Michelle added. “It was just terrifying.”
Grayson's big sister, Evie, was in fourth grade at the time.
“She was scared, she didn't know what was going on either,” Michelle said. “I can’t imagine having to pick up and leave her more than we did.”
Neighbors and grandparents that came into town helped take care of Evie.
“I can’t imagine having to pick up and leave her more than we did,” Michelle said. “It was all hands on deck for him, so I’m just thankful that we were able to be here and be close.”
Because St. Jude has an affiliate clinic at the Children's Hospital at Saint Francis, the Stigers never had to worry about leaving their jobs or their daughter behind in Broken Arrow to travel to Memphis for care.
A pediatric neurosurgeon right here in Tulsa performed brain surgery and removed Grayson's tumor, and just like the big hospital in Memphis, the St. Jude clinic takes care of everything.
An ophthalmologist checked Grayson’s eyes and a doctor of audiology checked his hearing. Grayson had a few weeks of physical therapy and occupational therapy to help with balance and fine motor skills after his brain surgery.
Remarkably, Grayson was back on the baseball field the same season.
He told FOX23 that his newer friends have no idea he ever had brain cancer.
“I have to get to know them first, and then I’ll tell them,” he said.
Immediately after surgery, Grayson went to the clinic for scans once a month, then once every three months and then once every six months.
Now, five years later, he only needs an MRI every two years.
“We just did his last scans and I went into it with a peace that he's okay, we're okay,” Michelle said.
She said it brings them peace to know St. Jude is still keeping an eye on them, making sure the cancer isn’t back. She said she’s so thankful.
Thanks to fundraisers like the Tulsa St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway, her family was able to focus on living and making memories together instead of spending the rest of their lives buried in medical debt.
Michelle told FOX23 she saw a few of those medical bills and that her family wouldn’t be where they are now if it weren’t for St. Jude.
“It would have been life changing,” she said, “I saw a few of them. I didn't see all of them, but I know every MRI is over $5,000.”
The St. Jude affiliate clinic at The Children’s Hospital at Saint Francis opened back in 2016 and is one of eight St. Jude affiliate clinics across the country.
“There’s a St. Jude clinic here that needs those donations because there are kids like us and families like us that are being treated right here at home,” Michelle said. “Not only are you helping St. Jude in Memphis, you're helping kids and families right here that don't have to leave home.”
In just a couple of weeks, FOX23 will draw the winner of the Tulsa St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway.
For $100, you can get the chance to win a brand new home in Stone Canyon, and the money supports the lifesaving research and treatment happening at St. Jude in Memphis and right here in Tulsa. To get your ticket now, click here.
The St. Jude Dream Home Is open for tours every weekend. While you’re there, you can register for free to get the chance to win a $5,000 shopping spree at Bassett Furniture.
The St. Jude Dream Home is located at 7210 North Hawthorne Lane, Owasso, OK 74055.