Trevor's Fight

04/06/2026

Happy Monday, y'all! 👋

It's the Monday after Easter, and my boys are out of school for the day. 🙌 I love that our school district has one school day off each month & if there's a holiday in that month, they schedule the day off for that same week, so we get a few 4-day weekends! Although we typically don't make any special plans, I think it's special enough to have a day or two at home without the regularly scheduled responsibilities & busyness! Trev did go to the Mario movie 🍄 with his Uncle Beau, his brother Cody, and Cousins on Friday, which they enjoyed, and yesterday was full of Easter fun with family. ✝️

I told y'all at the end of our last update that I would do better at taking pictures to share, but I'm embarrassed to say, I think I've taken even less than before!🫣 I have every intention to remember, but I have made it a habit to tuck my phone away and be more in the moment, and then the moment passes, and I don't have pictures! That was the case yesterday, I only took 4 pictures all day, and all 4 of them were of food, lol. 🤣 My sister sent me one of Trev that she caught as they were egg hunting, so I'll be able to share that with y'all. I promise, even without picture proof, we had a great day full of blessings & I hope y'all did too! 🫶

Trevor has been a very busy ambassador for Children's Miracle Network & has had the opportunity to speak at two events in the past 2 weeks.

The first was at a RE/MAX convention. Top RE/MAX realtors/brokers from the Dallas Ft. Worth & Plano had an annual event where Children's Hospital/Children's Miracle Network honored them for their generosity and support. Trevor shared his story, moving them to tears and then to laughter. As you all know, he loves sharing jokes, so he incorporated two "house jokes" in his speech to share:
1) Why did the house go to the doctor? It had a window pane!
and
2) What house weighs the least? A Lighthouse!
It is always such a blessing to be at these events, to see the impact Trevor's story has, and to meet these incredible people who choose to selflessly give, to make life better for children. 🥹

The second event was an absolute honor to be a part of. It was a luncheon held in the T. Boone Pickens Building, 14th floor. This location was chosen for its floor to ceiling windows looking out over the construction site of the NEW Dallas Pediatric Hospital. The cranes and construction 🚧 happening in the background was a powerful thing to see! The event was to announce and honor the Grath family for their one hundred million dollar gift. 💵 That's not a typo, they gave ONE HUNDRED MILLION dollars! 🤯 This event/announcement is something they have been planning for a while, and Trevor had the opportunity to film a video leading up to the day. 🎥 I'm attaching the link to the video below, hopefully y'all can watch it! They started the luncheon by welcoming everyone and then rolled right into the video. As the video ended, Trevor and all the gang who were in the video ran in, through all the tables to the front of the room, and made the big announcement! Trev memorized all of those lines and did such a great job. 👏 My Grandma, Mom, Aunt Lori & Aunt EJ all joined us for the luncheon. Trevor's neurosurgeon was also a guest and sat with us for lunch. I asked Dr. Braga if he knew anyone, and his response was "Oh no! They're way above my pay grade!" That coming from a nationally known Pediatric Neurosurgeon should tell you something about the people in attendance, lol. The presidents of both Children's Hospital and UT Southwestern were both there, and multiple donors & influential guests were in attendance. I guess I wasn't really sure what to expect when meeting multi-billionaires, but they were the most precious down-to-earth people! 🥰 I am so thankful that there are people in our world who choose to use what they have to bless others. Incredible.

Well. I know many of you are anxious to have a medical update. In our last post 4 weeks ago, we shared that Trev had his big appointment and MRI, on March 20th. To be honest, it's taken me some time to process & to get my feet back under me as the news we got isn't what we expected or wanted to hear. 💔 We've also been to and from Dallas an additional 4x - in addition to our normal crazy schedule & all of the ambassador travels - since the 20th, so there's been a lot to keep up with. Trevor's been poked 💉 and prodded, scanned and tested, and all results point in the same direction. The treatment we started back in December is not working for his physical growth, and we are no longer considered stable regarding his brainstem 🧠 tumor. Pretty big blows in this journey. I've been on a rollercoaster of emotions. Devastated. Angry. Exhausted. Sad. Discouraged. Without getting into all the nitty-gritty of the consultations and appointments from the past few weeks, as of now, we don't have answers, and that's a really hard place to be. We don't have a clear direction or an action plan. For now, we have to wait. ⏳️ We have an upcoming appointment on April 15th with an Endocrinologist Oncologist Specialist. This is someone we haven't met with before, and we are hoping for some new experience and insights. 🙏

Well, I think that's Trevor's last 4 weeks in a nutshell! I laugh and say that it's Trev's world, and I'm just living in it, lol. My older boys kinda roll their eyes & tease that Trev's obviously my favorite, lol, but they continued to be such good sports. Because they are older and Wyatt is driving 🚗 , it has gotten a little easier to divide and conquer. I've had to miss a few of Cody's athletic events recently & that's hard on my Momma heart. He also decided it'd be a great idea to throw in a broken 🩹 elbow at one of the track meets I couldn't be at, so that was an exciting phone call to get, lol. We'll go back to the Orthopedic sports doctor on Wednesday of this week for him.

I know I'm not the only one juggling what feels like a million things, but if this journey has taught me anything, it's to be intentional. 💪 Show up when it's hard. Show up when you're tired. Show up for your spouse. Show up for your kids. I know what it is to be so overwhelmed you almost feel like you can't breathe, but I promise you won't ever regret showing up! 💕

Y'all enjoy the few pictures 📸 I have taken & here is the link for the announcement video that Trevor made: https://vimeo.com/1176350330/d0f3169d0e?fl=pl&fe=sh

We'd definitely appreciate some extra prayers as we anticipate Trevor's next appointment. 🙏 Thank y'all for your support and love, we are so thankful for YOU! 🧡

03/09/2026

Hey hey, y'all! 👋 Today is the start of Spring Break for my kiddos, so we're home and catching up on all the things that end up being put aside until I have a free minute, lol! This Trev update has been one of those pushed aside things, so I wanted to take the time to catch y'all up!

The last post looks like it was in the first part of February but wasn't much of an update, so I'll do my best to keep this short and sweet while covering lots of info.

From our last big update, we shared that Trev was starting a new treatment/daily injection. 💉 That was toward the end of December. Well, we hate it. I was hoping it would get better and just kind of fall into the bedtime routine, but that just hasn't happened. We made the decision from the beginning that Trev would be trained to handle the daily injection himself. We wanted to make sure that he would be independent and able to take care of business if he's at his cousins for a sleep-over or I'm out of town or anything like that. So, the first few weeks, we did it "together" meaning he did it, but I was there with him - I wanted to make sure he was doing it correctly since it was new to him, but I also wanted to be supportive, so he knew he wasn't alone. Y'all know how a toddler will fall down and then look around to see if anyone saw the fall and is deciding on if they should dust themselves off and carry on or if they should cry about it? Well, that's kind of what I started thinking of our night-time routine, lol. 😅 Not to make light of it, but I thought after a week or two of tears that maybe it was more about me being a little too sympathetic vs. it really being hard for him to get through. I started to be busy when he needed to do the injection and kind of faded myself out of being a part of the routine. Although it hasn't really made a difference in his response, selfishly, it does help my momma heart to not have to watch. 💔 He doesn't always cry, but it is a struggle to force himself to do something that is hard for him, that he truly dreads, each night. Sometimes, I'll hear his brothers hype him up if they happen to be around when he's doing it, and I always make it a point to tell him how proud I am of him for his perseverance. If I can be completely honest, there are times that I just want to be mad about it. I'm over feeling scared or sad, I'm just mad. It's just so unfair & it sucks that he has to carry this burden, that he has to keep fighting for normalcy. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, and my heart grieves for other families and parents that have medically challenged kiddos.🥺 There's just nothing quite like feeling helpless because we can't change something for our babies, that we can't make something easier or fair & we have to just stand by and watch them take it on the chin, over and over.

In starting this new medication, there has also been a lot of yucky side-effects he is navigating. Like clock-work for the first month or so, he was really 🤮 between 2am-3pm, almost every night. I would hear him get up to get to the bathroom, night after night. Thankfully, the past few weeks have been a little better, and it is only happening occasionally instead of every night.🙌 Fortunately, it does seem like that one time in the night usually gives his little system the purge it needs, and by the time his alarm goes off for school, he's feeling better. There have been a handful of days that he makes it to school, and then I end up picking him up mid-morning as the nausea hasn't subsided enough to be able to make it through the day.

As y'all probably assume, we've been to and from Dallas a lot since starting the medication. Although Dallas days are long, I am thankful for the continual monitoring of his labs 🩸 and the neurological 🧠 hoops they put him through to watch for any potential changes. His headaches are still popping up here and there which always give me reason to pause, but the doctors continue to reassure me that as long as they aren't continual with no relief from typical meds (Tylenol), we don't have anything to worry about. I don't know, I kinda feel like worrying is in my job description, lol. 🫣

Upcoming, he will be having a scan of his ankles this next week, due to some gait changes and discomfort on his left side AND then his next sedated MRI scan is the following week, on March 20th. His scan is first thing in the morning, and then we will have a collaboration appointment with both Oncology and Endocrinology. This appointment is a big one. We'd definitely appreciate a little extra love & prayers in the next few weeks! 🙏

Now that the medical update is out of the way, we have some other news to share!

If you've followed Trev's journey, y'all probably know that I'm a firm believer in the fact that we all go through hard things 🤷‍♀️ but that it's through those experiences we become the person we CHOOSE to be. We may not be able to control our circumstances, but we CAN control how we respond & who we become because of it. In processing Trevor's diagnosis and with each step along the way, we've not been able to control any of it. I will say, this journey has been one of the most excruciatingly painful things as a parent, to have to walk beside your child through the unimaginable. Not to mention the ripple effect on the rest of the family. Although there is nothing we can do to change what Trev and our family has and will continue to endure, from day one, we have looked for a purpose in the journey. We have looked for hope in the heartbreak. We chose to stay positive. We wanted to use what we were going through for as long as we could, for good. 🫶

As those of you who have followed Trevor's journey know, he was chosen & served as an Ambassador for Children's Health for the 2025 year. What an honor it has been to represent Children's Health and share Trevor's story. Building relationships with celebrities, fellow fighters & families impacted with tragedy. Partnering with sponsors & donors through countless events, art work, speeches, interviews, etc. It's been an amazing experience & has brought such incredible opportunities & purpose, with the goal of making life better for kids just like Trevor. 💪

All of that being said, Trevor has accepted a nomination through Children's Health as the 2026-2027 Champion Ambassador in partnership with Children's Miracle Network (CMN). WOW. 🤯 What an honor to step onto another platform, with BIG reach, to share Trevor's story and continue to shine light on the importance of support. Most of y'all have seen the CMN balloon as they have corporate sponsorships throughout the United States and Canada, working hard to support the 170 Children's Hospitals and 12 MILLION kids, each year. Places like ACE Hardware, Albertsons, Wal-Mart, Chevron, Costco, Coca-Cola, DQ, Panda, PGA, 7-Eleven, Remaxx, Red Bull...the list goes on and on! 👏 We have hit the ground running & Trevor has stepped into this new role with confidence. He spent the day with a camera crew from Club Car Wash, filming promotional material for their 100+ locations all over the US from Colorado to Minnesota. He's also filmed with Children's Health, spent time creating some art 🎨 pieces for donors, spoke at luncheons, etc. all since the end of January. It's so fun to be at Children's & see Trevor's art on the screens in the lobby & around the hospital. 😍 On Thursday of this past week, he 🎥 filmed a video along with doctors & staff that will debut on March 30th, with big news for the new Dallas Pediatric Campus. It is amazing to see Trev put himself out there, doing the absolute most, to change the world. 🌎

On another note, Trev welcomed his newest baby cousin, played in the great Ice/Snow ❄️ storm of 2026, attended his last Intermediate campus dance (Momma got to be there, perks of running the PTO 😉).

Well, I guess that wraps up today's update! When I went through my camera roll to be able to upload photos 📸 for y'all, I realized I am falling short, lol. I will try and do better to share with y'all more pictures next time! As always, if you've made it this far in the journey, thank you for your continued support and love for Trevor and our family. Although this life is HARD, we feel so blessed to have the encouragement and love from y'all! 🧡

02/05/2026

Although today is just another Wednesday, it's also World Cancer Day. It's hard to remember what life was like without cancer as a part of our daily lives.🥺

This weekend, February 7th, also marks the 3rd anniversary of Trevor's 1st chemo infusion. It has been three years of what feels like a constant uphill battle. Those of you who have followed Trevor's journey know that he has overcome so much...our boy has continued to beat the odds!💪 I've said it before, and I'll say it again, we are forever grateful we still have Trevor this side of heaven.

Thank you to each and every one of y'all who have continued to send your love and prayers, we appreciate you, so much! 🫶

Be on the lookout for an update on Trev, I'm hoping to make that happen this weekend! 🧡

12/26/2025

It's December 25th! ☃️ Merry Christmas, y'all!! 🎄

It's beyond time for a Trevor post, & I've carved out some quiet time here at home to sit down and put together an update. With months of happenings, I'll try and keep this short and sweet, but as always, there is so much to share!

First of all, Trevor has asked me to say hello 👋 to each of you. We have definitely slowed down on the posting, and he has missed hearing your encouragement and interactions here. I cannot believe the last update was from May - feels like just yesterday, but in the same breath, like a lifetime ago. We hope you are all doing well and that you've had a wonderful day filled with all that you love the most!

In thinking of the best way to update, since we have a few months to catch up on, I will start with a medical update & give y'all the nut-shell version so we aren't here all night, lol. 😅

Update:
Trevor has had 3 big scans/MRI's since our last post in May. He had a brain scan in June, September, and just recently in November. His scan in both June and September showed minor changes, nothing drastic & there were no new findings. His brainstem tumor was stable. I can't even put into words the relief you feel when stable results come back; it's like you don't even realize you're holding your breath until you're breathing again.

The most recent MRI brought some new concerns. Trevor's MRI's are done with contrast and dye so that all the details can be seen, including anything that might be irregular in blood-flow, etc. His MRI in November shows three spots of FLAIR hyperintensity. These spots indicate slow blood flow & indicate possible intracranial tumor dissemination or seeding, meaning cells spread within the brain/new tumor spots. Without a 🧠 biopsy, nothing is 100%, and at this time, the risks of an intracranial biopsy outweigh the urgency of pathology results. IF these spots continue to develop, the silver lining is that all 3 are in operable locations. Trev's doctor feels comfortable waiting to make a decision regarding another biopsy until the next MRI. So, we are currently in a "watch and wait" mode. Watching Trevor for an increase in symptoms. Waiting on time to determine next steps. 🙏

Now, as if that wasn't enough, this is where things get a little sticky.

Along with the obvious concern of growth/recurrence of the tumor/brain cancer, they've been watching Trevor's weight/growth closely for the past year or so. Unfortunately, after months of intentional observation, some medication trials, and multiple tests, they've determined Trevor's pituitary gland is not working. He hasn't grown in 2 years & 3 months. They are unsure if the tumor itself damaged his gland or if it was the year of chemotherapy treatments/medications. The pituitary gland is located at the base of the brain, at the base of the brainstem, which is located underneath where Trevor's tumor sits in his brain. The pituitary gland is essential for regulating hormone production from most of the other glands in the body, playing a crucial role in numerous functions as well as overall health. 🥺

In September, Trev's Endocrinologist specialist, Dr. Lin, officially diagnosed Trev as having "failure to thrive" and "short stature". With an official diagnosis, they were able to order some extensive testing, which Trevor completed in November. He was hooked up to various machines & an IV for about 7 hours. They gave him intermittent medications 💊 and did a blood draw every 15 minutes. It took 7-10 days to get all of the lab results back, while we waited to determine possible next steps in treatment.

We got the call in the last week of November that Trev failed all of the testing (which was expected) & the only hope for growth would be to start a daily injection💉 of a specially formulated medication, including Norditropin, which is a human growth hormone. This medication requires careful monitoring for serious side effects like increased blood sugar or tumor growth IN NORMAL patients, so, in Trevor's case, it means very close monitoring and a collaboration of treatment with both endocrinology and oncology.

On December 1st, I had a conference call with Dr. Lin (endro) and Dr. Klessey (oncology) to talk through the risks, the pros, the cons, the what-if's. At the end of the call, we were given a deadline of the end of the week to decide what we wanted to do. If we chose to proceed, we were advised to start asap. It was explained that Trevor's window for growth is essentially until he is 18 years old, he is currently 2 years behind, and he can't get those years back, so the sooner we start, the better the chances he will reach a "normal" functioning size. If he started treatment now, he may "top out" at the size of an average 16-year-old, if we wait, he continues to "lose" the days/months of growth. This is all IF the formulation works, IF he doesn't have side effects that would force stopping the injections, IF, IF, IF.

I'm sure y'all have probably put two and two together, and what absolutely terrifies me, what stands out as the biggest risk of starting this treatment, is that the growth hormone will do what it's designed to do, & it will grow any foreign cells/cancer as well.💔

The devastation and heartbreak I've been carrying over the last few weeks runs deeply. It's already been a really, really hard journey, haven't we been through enough? I felt like, in many ways, we were finally moving into the "maintenance" phase. We were healing. We were recovering. Moving into the next chapter of Trevor's journey, a chapter where he was getting to be a "normal" kid. Normal school attendance, normal activities, normal expectations. Now, 3 new spots and failure to thrive...with a treatment plan that feels like a lose-lose situation with no chances of normal in sight. 💔 It's hard not to be angry. Hard to fight the discouragement and desperation.

BUT, I keep coming back to the fact that we haven't fought with everything we have, for Trevor to not have a life. We've been in the trenches fighting for tomorrow, fighting to beat the odds, fighting for Trevor to LIVE. 💪I can't imagine him having to stand by and never be able to do things like drive a car. Never have a family, if that's what he wants. To never have an adult job. To never be larger than the 3rd percentile, never taller than 4 feet. I just couldn't wrap my mind around it & it just seems wrong that Trevor wouldn't have the chance to live a normal, functional life. He deserves the same chance as anyone else, and we so desperately want that for our boy. 🥺

December 15th, Trev, Wyatt (his oldest brother), and I made the trip back to Dallas to pick up the formulated medications and to attend a training course. He has to give himself injections 6 nights a week, with Sunday night off. He was and has been, so incredibly brave. He hates needles. Each injection is a challenge, and he faces it with brave resolve. I hate it for him, it breaks my heart to watch him go through the steps with tears in his eyes 😢 but I am so proud!

Injections started last Monday & by Wednesday, it was rough. He was miserable & so sick. He woke up around 5am on Wednesday morning, I gave him meds and he went back to sleep. He had meds again around 8:30am and said he felt good enough to go to school. By 10am he had gotten sick at school, all over the floor 🤢 (the poor custodian at the school is an absolute angel, thank you Gigi ♡), he was sick with a terrible headache, 🤕 neck stiffness & nausea, until Friday afternoon. All symptoms of his body regulating (doctor said was normal) and although he's still fighting the head pressure, he seems to be doing better.

So, medically, that's where we stand. We are STILL doing this dang thing. We are stepping out in faith that we are making the right decision in Trevor's treatment plan, that these injections will help him grow big and strong, that Trevor will continue to beat the odds. 👊 We will be on the road to Dallas again every other week at a minimum, for the time being. Labs & scans. We watch. We wait. We hold on to HOPE.

Now, for the best part of this update, all the photos 📸 of Trev living his best life over the last few months! Ring security in his Aunt's wedding, a family cruise to Mexico that my parents booked for our whole family (21 of us!) camp Esperanza with Children's Health, his 12th birthday 🎂, and also events he's attended, spoken at, and worked. Our boy has been busy! As y'all know, Trevor has been an ambassador for Children's Health this year, it has been the most amazing experience! Trevor steps out in any situation with confidence to share his story, share his journey, and do all that he can to bring awareness to pediatric cancer🎗 and the health care needed to make life better for children! This year and over the summer, he has attended some of the most amazing events, and has had the privilege of standing alongside some influential people & organizations, with a reach wider than ever to make a difference. Big names like Dak Prescott, Scottie Scheffler, Troy Aikmen, Hyundai Hope on Wheels, Panda Cares Foundation, Movies With A Mission/AMC Theatres, Volleman's Family Farm, Adolphus Tower Gallery in Dallas, the Dallas Stars, etc. This summer, (most of y'all probably already know) that his artwork was featured with Dippin Dots, Kona Ice🍧 Cups/Truck & at the SMU🏈 football stadium/on helmets, his boot with Vollemen's milk 🥛 went out not only here in Texas but also in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, & Mexico. Y'all. It's overwhelming in such a good way!👏 When I'm having a hard time seeing the positive in the situation, it helps to focus on the GOOD things being accomplished. Trev's changing the world! 🌎 What a blessing it has been to have such a purpose in the journey. Without his fight with cancer, Trevor would never have had these opportunities. Without cancer, he wouldn't have this story to tell. 🤷‍♀️

My heart's desire has always been that my kids would be good humans, kind and compassionate. That they would stand for what is right & make a positive impact in this world 🌎. When I think of all that Trevor has accomplished in his 12 short years of life, I can't help but be thankful for this journey. It has taken SO much from our family, and it continues to take financially, emotionally, & physically... but not without a story worth sharing.

This may not be the life we imagined, but it is the one we were given. Despite the heartbreak, the fear, the unknowns, Trevor is exactly who he is meant to be, living the life he is supposed to live, for as long as he is given.⏳️ At the end of the day, putting aside everything else, I'm grateful. Grateful for Trevor's life. Grateful to be Trevor's mom. Grateful to be sharing his story with all of you! Thank y'all for being along for the journey. We appreciate your love, prayers, and support more than you'll ever know. 🫶

Until next time, we wish y'all a very Merry Christmas and a New Year full of many blessings!! 🧡

05/02/2025

The news we've been waiting for!! 👏🥛🐮 Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote, we're so excited!! 🫶

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/169LqYeTa1/

We're excited to announce that the winner of our 2025 Children's Health Bottle Design Contest is... Trevor!🥁

Trevor's design will be hitting store shelves soon, and the best part? A portion of each bottle sold will go back to The Children's Health Foundation to support their incredible work!

Thank you to everyone who voted — and a big congratulations to Trevor! Stay tuned for the official launch! 🎉

05/01/2025

May is Brain Cancer/Brain 🧠 Tumor Awareness Month. 🩶

Not just in May, but every day, we're aware. It's been a long road, but Trevor continues to beat the odds & I'm forever thankful my baby boy is still this side of heaven. 🧡

We're also deeply grateful for each of you & the love & support you've given to us over the past 2 years! Having you walk by our side has truly been the biggest blessing. 🫶 Whew! What a journey!!

04/27/2025

Happy Sunday, y'all!! Don't forget, Trev's cute little boot is a finalist in a competition with Volleman's Family Farm!! 🐄 Today's the last voting 🗳 day!!

Quick re-cap:

Those of you local to East Texas, I'm sure you've seen the glass milk 🥛 bottles at the grocery store. Volleman's is a corporate partner with Children's Health and their milk is sold across North Texas and beyond with proceeds benefiting Children's Health. The top winner from the voting contest will have their design printed & featured on their glass milk bottles! 👏

Trevor was thrilled to make it into the finals and would be forever grateful for your vote! Voting is open now & closes today, Sunday, April 27th. The winner will be announced on May 2nd. 🤞

Following the link, you will enter your name and email, select Trevor's boot art, and hit submit! Easy peasy. Side note, it will open a donation page, but you can just close out of it - no donation is necessary. You can vote 1x a day. ❤️

If you have a second, please share, and let's help our boy have his art featured on the milk bottles!! Vote, Vote, VOTE!!

https://give.childrens.com/forms/view.php?id=180765%202025%20-%20Corporate%20-%20Volleman%27s%20Family%20Farm%20Voting

04/23/2025

Well, friends, it's been a hot minute since I've updated, so much to catch y'all up on!

Anyone who knows our family, knows that there is never a dull moment! A packed calendar pulling us in a bajillion different directions. Although too busy for our own good, I am forever thankful for this chapter in our lives. You all know, there were days we didn't know what the following day would bring and the perspective/feeling that comes from living moment by moment, breath by breath...it's more than I can put into words. To be living "normal" lives right now, with minimal limitations, is something I will never take for granted. I realize that it sounds so cliche, but there is something about your baby being on the edge of eternity that truly makes you strive for a life of purpose. 🥹 A life full of goodness!

The last update I shared was mid-February and so much has happened in the life of Trev since then! I will do my best to keep this update relatively short but not leave anything out, lol! For those who messaged me, worried about my Christmas 🎄 tree, I did finally get it down over Spring Break, lol! Keeping it real over here y'all - this season of life has really humbled me, but my constant goal is to do my best and let go of the rest! ❤️

The end of February had us traveling to Dallas to participate in a "Tell Your Story" workshop with Children's Health. I don't remember when we shared about Trev's 2025-2026 ambassadorship, but I'm pretty confident we touched on it a few times since finding out that he was selected! In a nutshell, Children's Health nominates a handful of patients to step into the role of Ambassadors for a year. Advocating for the hospital, helping to raise awareness of the incredible programs and services provided for patients along with participating in fundraising/partnership opportunities between the hospital and donors. We chose to embrace the opportunity presented to us as we felt like it was something we could do to take our experience and this journey with cancer and use it for good. To make a difference in the lives of others, an opportunity to live these days Trevor has been given with purpose. The workshop was informative and gave us a kick-start into preparing for all the opportunities that have been rolling in! There are 3 big ones that I'll share with y'all a little farther down in our update, and we actually have a favor to ask along with the last one!

March 15th brought Trevor's big MRI. I'm just here to tell you that scan days are HARD. The lead-up, the day of and sometimes even days after, have the track record of pushing this Momma into emotional overload. I think part of the overload is "being strong" and putting that strong face on for Trev and even for Wyatt and Cody. As a parent, I hate to see them worry, especially about something that is out of our control and something we can't do anything to change. So we tend to play it off a little bit, which is hard. Trev handled it like a champ. I'm not going to lie, it really hasn't gotten any better watching him get his IV. Over the past 2 years, I can't even count how many he has had to endure, and it just doesn't get any easier. It breaks your heart watching him be brave. His body language, the way he works at his breathing, the way his eyes well up with tears, and overflow along with quiet sobs. I hate it. But, this is the very first time he did it without crying! His eyes teared up, but he just kept on breathing through it. It may have had a little something to do with the timing of the happy pills/sedative he took for the scan but any way he can conquer the trauma, face it and work through it over and over again is pretty brave in my book. The scan lasted about 1 hour and 45 min. After the scan, we headed up to the Oncology floor. It was fun to see our 6th floor family! It had been a few weeks since we had seen everyone, the longest stretch we had gone without being there in 2 years! We also got to meet Trevor's new lead doctor. It was so weird to not see Dr. Bui, but they said she is doing great on her new adventure, and we are so happy for her. 🥰 Trevor's new doctor, Dr. Klesse, is wonderful! I am thankful for the smooth transition and level of compatibility we felt.

Scan results: Scan showed minor change in tumor size. BUT, the MRI was read by a different tech, so the small "growth" may not actually be growth but just a difference in measuring technique. We won't be able to tell for sure until his next scan, but he is still considered "stable." There was some "new discovery" from the MRI. "Scattered Hyperintensities in the Midbrain" which can be caused by changes in the water content and fluid movement in the brain tissue, Ischemia, micro-hemorrhages, gliosis, damage to small blood vessel walls, breaches of the barrier between the cerebrospinal fluid and the brain, or loss and deformation of the myelin sheath. All of that to say, y'all know that Trev's brain has experienced a lot of that trauma, and so we aren't surprised to see the hyperintensities. There was also a slight mass effect found on the posterior third ventricle and the cerebral aqueduct obstruct affecting the cerebrospinal fluid (csf) flow, which can lead to hydrocephalus and related symptoms like headaches and cognitive difficulties. Which explains his intense headaches.

There is nothing to do for either "new" finding at this point, aside from watching him for increased symptoms or seizures, and keep plugging along until his next scan in June. We are thankful for "stable."

This past week, Trevor also had an evaluation done for potential physical therapy. If you had known Trev before, he was active and had more natural athletic abilities. Over the past 2 years, his coordination and abilities have changed quite a bit. He is very mechanical and lacks the fluidity that he used to have. Honestly, it hurts me to watch him run or try and do "normal" physical things that other kids his age do. His medical team suggested that he be evaluated for potential services that might help him regain some of what was damaged/lost throughout treatment. I asked Trev how he felt about it, and he said as long as they don't make him run a bunch, he's fine with it, lol. He does hate always coming in last and not being able to do everything that others can BUT I'm not convinced he hates it enough to put in the effort & go through the pain it would cause to improve, typical 11 year old, lol. I haven't heard back since the evaluation & I'm curious to hear what will be recommended. We'll keep you posted on that!

Towards the end of March, Trevor (along with another Children's Health Ambassador) attended Micah Parson's (a Dallas Cowboys Defensive End) event "Pins with a Purpose" through his foundation, Lion Heart Foundation who partners with Children's Health. It was an invite only, private event and Trevor made the comment "I think you either have to be almost 10ft tall or super rich & famous to get an invitation" as everyone he greeted was fellow Cowboy's players & fellow athletes/VIP's! Trevor greeted each guest and handed out t-shirts as they arrived, thanking them for coming and for their support.

On April 11th, Trevor, along with 3 other ambassadors, attended a Legacy of Love event that was presented by the Women's Auxiliary to Children's Medical Center. Anne Geddes was their guest speaker. Her life's work is driven by her love for children. It was amazing to hear her story! Trev didn't bat an eye, interviewing on stage in front of hundreds of people. She said, "I hear you're a funny guy," and he responded, "I like to think I am!". It was an engaging interview, and Trevor did a great job sharing about his experience with Children's Health.

A few hours after the luncheon ended, Trevor was back on the big stage as an alumni at the annual Gala for the Children's Cancer Fund. He hung out backstage with all the celebrities and fellow CCF friends and then walked the stage at the end of the event. This year, the Gala raised over 3 million dollars for Children's Cancer Fund!! What an incredible night!

Trevor's next project was to submit an art piece to potentially be made into a custom decal that would be displayed on SMU helmets 🏈 during the SMU Spring Season. Not only for the helmets but also to be used for the athletic department for the 2025-2026 school year. Trevor's piece was one out of 15 that made it as a finalist. They were voted on by all SMU players and staff & we found out a few weeks ago that Trev's "Pony Up" Mustang was chosen!! Last Wednesday, our family spent the day on the SMU campus, touring their facilities, meeting the players and coaches and had an interview with some media outlets. They made him a custom helmet with his decal on it and Trev enjoyed getting autographs throughout the day. It was an incredible experience. A beautiful campus and the team was hands down, the absolute best! Favorite moment: We were out on the field watching the offensive team running plays, and they called Trev over. They introduced him, and he got to be a part of their huddle. As they were walking off, some of the guys circled up and prayed for Trev. 🙏 We were there to advocate for Children's, yet we left so encouraged! This Friday, we will be back on campus to see Trev's art in action at their last Spring practice! 👏

Lastly, (and this is where we'd love your help!) we found out this week that another piece of Trevor's artwork has made it as a finalist in a competition with Volleman's Family Farm. 🥳 Those of you local to East Texas, I'm sure you've seen the glass milk bottles at the grocery store. Volleman's is a partner with Children's Health, and their milk is sold across North Texas and beyond with proceeds benefiting Children's Health. The top winner from the voting contest will have their design printed & featured on their glass milk bottles! 🐄 Trevor was thrilled to make it into the finals and would be forever grateful for your vote! Voting is open now & closes on April 27th. The winner will be announced on May 2nd. Following the link, you will enter your name and email, select Trevor's boot art, and hit submit! It will open a donation page, but you can just close out of it - no donation is necessary! I think you can vote 1x a day. I'll share the link below & y'all feel free to share, and let's help our boy have his art featured on the milk bottles!! Vote, Vote, VOTE!!

https://give.childrens.com/forms/view.php?id=180765%202025%20-%20Corporate%20-%20Volleman%27s%20Family%20Farm%20Voting

Well, I said I'd try and keep this to a minimum, but as you can see, the last 7 weeks or so in just Trevor's world has been a whirlwind! I joke that Trevor needs his own manager, lol. 😅 Keeping up with his commitments along with two other active kiddos and their school & sports schedules, work, businesses, etc. is a lot to juggle, lol! We know we aren't the only ones in this super busy season of life, and I hope you all can reflect on how blessed we are to be living this life we've been given!! 💕

Thank you all for your continued love for Trev and our family. We are so thankful for the continued support and community as we continue pursuing purpose in this journey! 🧡