A few months prior to October 6, 2006, Aven began having some problems. He was waking up vomiting every morning and he had frequent headaches. Then he had some blurred vision. His handwriting and school work really began to slack and the week that I took him to the pediatrician, he began to walk very clumsy.

On October 6, 2006, we took him for an MRI and the news was devastating. We found out our son had several brain tumors. He had two large tumors and several small seeds in his brain. One of the large tumors was operable and the other was not. He had surgery first thing the next morning to remove the tumor. Aven was a much different child after the surgery. For one thing it made him to some extent mute, but anyone who knew Aven knows you can't keep him quiet long. He also could no longer hold his head up, walk, or sit. A few days after the surgery he had to get an MRI to see how much of the tumor had been removed. This time they scanned his spine as well. The good news was they were able to get the entire tumor and the bad news was he had a tumor on his spine. We had to wait one week for the results from the tumor they removed as to what it was and how to treat it. Good news: it was medulloblastoma, which is treatable and the bad news: it was stage four. The treatment plan was 6 weeks radiation followed by one year of chemotherapy. 

While we were waiting for radiation to begin, Aven became very ill and his left side became completely limp. They gave him another MRI and the scan revealed he had fluid on his brain and that the other remaining tumor had almost doubled in size. He needed a permanent shunt to keep the fluid off his brain and when he healed up a little from that we began radiation on Halloween. 

Things were going as well as possible and we were discharged from the hospital on November 28th to the Ronald McDonald house and we completed radiation on December 13th. We came home on December 16th and due to complications we were admitted back to the hospital on December 18th. The complications were Aven's left arm began to shake constantly and hyperextend and his left foot curled in. He was in a lot of pain from it. He had another MRI and the scan revealed that his shunt was clogged and his tumor had mostly died off on the inside. As it broke up it clogged his shunt and the inside began to fill with fluid. We had a choice this time about surgery. They could remove it much easier now that it was fluid. The risks were great but so was Aven's pain. We decided to go for it and they were able to remove about 90% of the second tumor. He was doing so much better and began to get movement back on his left side. 

We had a long journey up until now, but God has been very good to us. We finally came home on January 2nd. Chemotherapy had proved to be a whole new set of challenges. We adjusted as best we could to being in the hospital on a regular basis. Aven became so much stronger, but we were still waiting for him to walk again. Through the strength and love of our church, family, and friends it seemed to be a winning battle. The toughest battles have the sweetest victories and our victory will be shared by all. 

September 2007 Aven was diagnosed with more cancer as a tumor was growing in the back of his brain. We were informed that there were no further treatments that would cure Aven. December 20, 2007, Aven was given more Gamma radiation to increase his life by killing a large tumor in the back of his head. Before the radiation they did an MRI to pinpoint the tumor location and they found 5 more tumors growing all around his brain. They proceeded with the treatment and gave him radiation on two of the five tumors. He was given around 3 months or more before the cancer would become life threading again. At this time Aven was living out his wishes and dreams. 

April 10, 2008, Aven earned his WINGS and we know heaven is that much sweeter place and Aven is sitting with Jesus free from all the earthly pains. 

Chris & Heather Everett, Aven's Father and Mother