Help needed for brave fighter
With his mother and father both being self-employed, an appeal is going out to the community to help raise much-needed funds.
LUCIANO Dias is a brave little four-year-old who urgently needs proton beam therapy to treat a rare brain tumour.
This Albertonian was diagnosed with ependymoma in 2016 and has been fighting this tumour ever since.
Luciano’s story
“Luciano started vomiting on a daily basis every morning since February 2016. As parents, we did not think this was normal and naturally started to get concerned. We took Luciano to several doctors, all who said he was suffering from reflux and that it would go away. A few months later he started pointing to his head saying it was sore,” said his parents, Philip and Tania Dias.
In August 2016 Luciano’s symptoms became a little more distressing as he began vomiting more than usual. His parents decided to see another paediatrician who again prescribed medication for reflux. The doctor advised them that if he wasn’t better by the weekend they need to do an MRI because children his age (18 months at the time) should not be experiencing or complaining of headaches.
“The first two days the symptoms seemed to be subsiding and we thought we were on the road to recovery. On day three the symptoms returned and Luciano appeared to be worse than before. An MRI was scheduled for August 10,” they said. This day changed everything for the Dias family.
After the MRI it was discovered that Luciano had a tumour growing on his brain stem, called an ependymoma. Luciano had emergency surgery to reduce pressure on his brain and then again another surgery on August 23, 2016, to remove the tumour. The doctor was able to remove about 80 per cent of the tumour and unfortunately, some residual tumour was left behind.
“It’s been a roller coaster ride with good news followed by bad news,” they said.
“In March 2018 the tumour had grown quite significantly, and then in August, the scan showed the tumour had grown even more.
“In October 2018 we did yet another MRI and found the tumour had now split in two. We needed to operate to get it out. The doctors recommended that two operations be done as it was too risky to operate and try to get both tumours out at the same time.
“We did the first operation on October 18. The one tumour was completely removed successfully with no residual tumour noted. The second operation was performed on November 13 and was also successful, but the doctors did advise us that they were concerned that some tumour cells might have remained and strongly suggested radiation,” said Luciano’s parents.
Treatment for Luciano
On January 22 it was found that there is another tumour and it is already 2x2cm. This tumour is also starting to invade into the midbrain and pons, which is in a very technically challenging position for doctors to access, eliminating surgery as an option.
Doctors suggested chemotherapy for two years, but in the same breath stated it is unlikely to work for this type of tumour.
“We were first advised by our oncologist that proton beam therapy is the best form of treatment for Luciano as it is extremely precise and can be targeted directly at the tumour and not injure surrounding normal structures. It is for this reason we are currently looking at our options abroad as this treatment is not available in South Africa. We would like to get the best treatment for our son, to give him a fighting chance and hopefully a long, normal and symptom-free life.”
How you can help
People can help the family by supporting their fund-raisers or by making a financial donation to his treatment. The banking details are Luciano, Capitec Bank (The Glen), account number 148 689 8708, branch code 470 010.
“We would like to thank everyone for their prayers, love, support and care this far, we are truly grateful,” said both Tania and Philip.
For more information contact Tania on 076 244 1811 or Philip on 079 524 9291. People can also like the “Luciano Xavier Dias – Our Super Hero” page on Facebook to follow his progress.
For free daily local news in the south, visit our sister newspapers Alberton Record, Comaro Chronicle, Southern Courier and Get it Joburg South Magazine.
Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. You can also email our offices on cvdwalt@caxton.co.za, juliem@caxton.co.za or luckyt@caxton.co.za
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