Dean's Fight

Dean's Fight Dean was just 13 months old when he was diagnosed with Craniopharyngioma, a very rare brain tumor.

I always make updates for Dean, this is my grandma update (sort of):Our family has faced some major challenges that have...
05/02/2026

I always make updates for Dean, this is my grandma update (sort of):

Our family has faced some major challenges that have hurt us financially. With Dean’s 6 weeks of radiation followed by immediately being admitted to the hospital for 5 weeks & now my husband Mike's vehicle being incapacitated, we are in a worse place. We have currently lost Mike’s income from his part-time job while he is without his vehicle. We are in desperate need of help. Aside from Dean’s needs - our house, utilities & vehicles are in massive need.

We need to get us back on top of our bills, after 3 months of more emergent situations with Dean, so we can try to stay afloat without completely drowning like we are right now. This isn’t easy & it feels demoralizing. I am not happy about sharing our money troubles with everyone. But I also feel it is crucial to be transparent. I don’t know what to do. We take one step forward & twenty steps back. We must keep our home. My husband works a full-time job & a part-time job. I work full-time & help with Dean. We are doing everything we can in a situation that seems impossible right now. I am desperate.

Please, share if you have a minute. Thank you for reading my post if you made it this far. Thank you for everything everyone has done.
Venmo: (last four digits if needed, 4524)
CashApp: $ShannonFender9902

Go Gray in May for Brain Tumor Awareness.
05/01/2026

Go Gray in May for Brain Tumor Awareness.

Yesterday was so many stresses on top of stresses. Last night, PaPa Michael & I gave our little man a "spa night"; spong...
04/28/2026

Yesterday was so many stresses on top of stresses. Last night, PaPa Michael & I gave our little man a "spa night"; sponge bath (because he can't have a full bath with the staples), lotion, massaged his legs & feet, & shaved his head. We wanted to get his head shaved since radiation was over, but immediately after radiation, he was hospitalized for almost 5 weeks. Last night, we were able to accomplish this. My grandson is just so handsome. 🩵

Tailgators selected Dean as the beneficiary of their annual golf tournament on June 4. If you are a golfer or know a gol...
04/28/2026

Tailgators selected Dean as the beneficiary of their annual golf tournament on June 4. If you are a golfer or know a golfer, please share. Thank you, everyone.

DEAN UPDATE: Wednesday, 4/22Dean broke out of Children's Mercy 1 day shy of being there 5 weeks for this hospitalization...
04/23/2026

DEAN UPDATE: Wednesday, 4/22
Dean broke out of Children's Mercy 1 day shy of being there 5 weeks for this hospitalization. He got the PICC line removed this afternoon, then we went through his always many pages of discharge orders. Then we waited for a while in the CMH pharmacy for his Desmopressin, which Tatum found out won't be ready until Friday. So back again for that med pick up. He has appointments in May with Dr. Kaufman to get the staples removed, an appointment with cardio, in addition to his other appointments. He is still coughing, which now hurts his belly due to the incision. He always needs prayers & all the good energy you have, so please keep those coming for him. Thank you. 🩵

June 4th Golf Tournament to benefit Dean.
04/22/2026

June 4th Golf Tournament to benefit Dean.

DEAN UPDATE #2: Tuesday, 4/21Today was frustrating; on top of our stress & worry is the fact that we waited 4 hours for...
04/22/2026

DEAN UPDATE #2: Tuesday, 4/21
Today was frustrating; on top of our stress & worry is the fact that we waited 4 hours for neurology to meet with us for the neurologist to say we didn't need to meet with you. The twitching in Dean's right arms seems to be increasing, along with him chewing on his tongue. We asked neurology about this & he said the EEG from 2 nights ago was ok & they aren’t concerned about these things yet.

Neurosurgery, aka Dr. Kaufman, is happy with the way things are looking from surgery last night. The staples will be removed from his incision on May 4.

If all goes well & uneventful, Dean should be able to come home tomorrow afternoon. We are grateful for the prayers, encouragement & support. Our Dean still needs it all. He is the definition of strength. Much love you you all.

Dean Update: Tuesday, 4/21We are very open about everything Dean & our family are going through & have gone through for ...
04/21/2026

Dean Update: Tuesday, 4/21
We are very open about everything Dean & our family are going through & have gone through for over 2 years. Part of sharing our fight for his life includes photos of what our little boy has to endure. Dean did well with emergency surgery last night. That was surgery #24 for him. He even has the puncture holes on his temples where he was drapped for shunt surgery, then Dr. Kaufman saw the shunt tubing in his abdomen was the problem, not the shunt. At least he doesn't have another incision on his head. There was a complication toward the end of surgery when Dr. Kaufman was starting to close. Dean's airway was having trouble so Dr. Kaufman had to close the incision with staples. The breathing tube was full of mucus from Dean's lungs so they did a lot of suctioning. Dean got back to his room around 11:30ish. At least he didn't have to go back to the PICU. We aren't sure what today will bring. Thank you all for the prayers & words of encouragement. Dean still needs that & more. I cannot begin to put into words the worry, stress & exhaustion.

04/21/2026

Thankfully the issue was the tubing in his belly so no incisions had to be made to his head. The tubing in his belly had gotten tied in many knots. Doctor Kaufman tried to untie them but there was to many so he decided to just replace the tube. Dean started having trouble with his airway so anesthesia needed to rush him out of the OR which led to doctor Kaufman having to staple his incision closed instead of stitches. He also said Dean has a good amount of gunk in his lungs that anesthesia was in the process of suctioning out. Once he starts waking up they’ll bring Dean back to his room. As long as he’s doing good he’ll be on track to come home tomorrow still. That all depends on everything else he’s had going on.

04/21/2026

Dean is in emergency surgery for his shunt right now.

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Kansas City, KS
66103

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