Hearts of Hope for a Cure

My name is Tina, and I am the proud momma of Seth Becker...my hero.

On April 10th 2007, my life was turned upside down by a diagnosis of CANCER. I was told our 20 month old son was going to die! He had a brain tumor that was almost  half the size of his head, and he only had days to live.Seths dad went home to find a better hospital online, and he did.  Duke Brain Tumor Center for Children sent a jet to pick us up and get him into surgery as soon as possible. The surgery lasted 9 1/2 hours, and  Seth almost didn't make it. They were able to remove most of the tumor,but they were not able to replace the skull bone due to swelling(almost half his head) and he had to be put in a coma for the trauma and swelling, and his status was minute by minute. We could have lost him at any moment. The test results on the tumor were bad...it was the most agressive type of cancer he could have had (PNET)stage 4. Seth fought hard, and was able to come out of the coma  in about 2 weeks, but he was paralized, and in bad shape. He could no longer eat, drink, talk or walk.The next eight months were life changing for me. We lived 3 hours from home in a hospital , and sometimes the Ronald McDonald house of Durham. Seth had many surgeries, test, Chemo's, stem cell transplants, blood transfusions, and so much more! It was a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, but his spirits stayed high, with a beautiful smile no matter what new challange he was faced with! I watched him slowly improve, and beat the odds. He learned to eat and drink again, and was able to move the left side of his body. He finished his Chemo, and was set for a surgery to replace the missing skull bone that was left off for so long! The surgery went great, and they removed the rest of the tumor as well! On November 11th, Seth was sent home in REMISSION! He was being called a MIRACLE! But, on December 20th, after being sick for a week or so, it was discovered that the cancer had returned, and it had spread. We found out the day after Christmas, that it was beyond treatment, and he was sent home on hospice care. Seth passed away just 4 days later. He was in the arms of me (momma) and his daddy, and our lives will never be the same. He was 2 years, 4 months and 14 days old.

To read the journal of his journey and daily updates on the family and the HEARTS of HOPE BUS please visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/sethbecker

To view Seths journey in pictures, please visit http://www.seth-becker.memory-of.com/

Our hearts are forever broken,but we will continue to fight for CANCER KIDS for the rest of our lives! They can not fight alone, but together WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!