Victory 4 Vincent

05/02/2026

It's May. It's brain tumor awareness month for the world, but for our family every day is brain tumor awareness day. We are aware every day what this disease has stolen from Vincent and our family, and we are aware of how fragile our future is.

We are aware of all the children who have died from this disease and we are aware that Vincent is just about the last child alive out of the ones who started their fights alongside us 8 years ago. We straddle the divide of fear and hope multiple times a day. Too often fear feels rational and hope feels impossible. And one would think that the longer Vincent survives, the easier it would be to see the passion of possibility but the truth is the more time that passes the more we learn that we know nothing. There was a naivety in the early years that made it a little easier. Now we know nothing, and we know too much.

At 4 months old and with no symptoms other than a slight head tilt that only I could see, this was Vincent's brain. Every time I see this, I am in shock and disbelief and right back in that ER room being told my infant had tumors in his brain.

8 years ago I never thought about brain tumors and then June 19th, 2018 happened and I never stopped thinking about them.

04/30/2026

My heart breaks for every single child our ATRT community loses to this vicious disease.

But losing Ollie is different.

We had the honor of knowing and loving Ollie for the past 7 years. And his mom has been my closest friend in the oncology community, we have been each other's sounding board for years.

We are crushed.

Please keep Ollie's family and everyone who loves him in your hearts and prayers.

We love you, Ollie. Forever and ever.

Our heart, soul and inspiration, Oliver David Horn, who we affectionately called Ollie died at home, in his bed with his mom and dad next to him on April 29, 2026. Ollie was born on July 11, 2018, right in the middle of Rachel and Max’s birthdays. From birth, Ollie was always a bright, sunny child. He rarely cried unless he was hungry, never ever napped and had a complete adoration for books from a young age. His favorites included the Hungry Caterpillar, Jamberry, Caps for Sale, the Little Blue Truck and many more. Ollie loved to smile.

When Ollie was 9 months old, he was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer of the brain and spine, AT/RT. Despite a dismal prognosis, Ollie defied every odd for over 7 years. He was a unicorn and forged his own path. The treatment for his cancer was so aggressive that it left him with many disabilities, yet that never stopped Ollie. He fought for the abilities many take for granted. Every new skill he gained, every new word he signed was always celebrated by himself and all of us around him who loved him. He worked hard and was proud of all he accomplished.

Ollie gave us 5 years of stability, something that was very much not expected when he suffered his third relapse in 2021. Despite all the odds Ollie enjoyed five magical years. He went to school, took weekly horseback riding lessons, enjoyed swimming and tried skiing. Most importantly, he had the chance to make amazing memories with his 3 little brothers, Benji, Miles and Levi. His brothers were the love of his life.

The other great love of Ollie’s life was music. Ollie especially loved the cello, with Bach being an absolute favorite. His legacy and the joy he found in music lives on with Ollie’s Orchestra. The nonprofit has gifted children and adolescents impacted by cancer with musical instruments and education.

Ollie is survived by his parents, Rachel Krieger and Max Horn, his brothers Benjamin, Levi and Miles and his cat Luna. He showed everyone he met how to enjoy life. He never complained about his challenges and instead taught us all to cherish life. Ollie is forever loved.

Funeral arrangements 💔

https://obits.goldsteinsfuneral.com/oliver-horn

04/29/2026

My niece got married on Saturday and both Mina and Vincent were in the wedding. We were all very skeptical that Vincent would walk down the aisle on cue and without getting distracted, and that would have been completely OK, but he surprised us again. He held onto Mina's hand repeating aloud "waiting for Vincent's turn" until it was their turn and then he triumphantly marched down the aisle with his signature right footed stomp while proudly gripping Mina's hand. It was a magical moment to witness. Mina looked gorgeous, Vincent was dapper in his suit, and my niece was absolutely stunning. You could feel the love radiating in the room. Thank you to my niece, and new nephew for including my kids in your special day, thereby gifting me with a very precious moment and memory.

Love your people ❤️

04/24/2026

Vincent riding an adaptive tricycle for the first time! This is a huge milestone. And he's using lefty hand too!!

Go Vincent!

04/13/2026

Vincent has been doing great. He still loves school and he's been able to attend almost every day since returning from holiday break in January. He hasn't had any recent unexpected hospital trips. He's been making progress on his academic goals. He's still super silly and full of joy. He did a great job at his audiogram last week and it's crazy to think about how stressful they were for years, until last year. I sat in that booth with Vincent so many times trying to get him to understand the "game", feeling like it was a waste of time and like he was never going to be able to complete a functional hearing test. And he has now successfully completed two audiograms and he is ready for open set testing next time which is much harder and tests beyond the hearing of sounds to how well language is understood. He also rode an adaptive tricycle at school last week for the first time ever! No one has ever been able to get him on a bike, not us or his PT at CHOP so this is huge!!

7 years ago today Vincent was dying. He was in liver failure from a rare reaction to a chemotherapy drug that was supposed to be an "easy" one. As the photo memories of that time pop up, they still shock me. It feels impossible that the little boy sitting next to me right now was intubated, in a bear hugger, on ecmo, with an abdominal drain pulling off 2 liters of fluid daily, and on a 7 day continuous platelet transfusion, the only time CHOP has ever done that. Every doctor who walked into our room in the PICU came to deliver more devastating news and prepare us for what they believed would be the inevitable outcome. I will never forget his liver function test numbers.
ALT 8,062, AST 19,283, Bilirubin 33.1
Thank God Vincent proved them wrong once again.

I haven't posted much because I stopped writing. I stopped writing because it forces me to think about the horrors we have lived through. It was easier before because all of my energy was focused on surviving and eliminating the next threat. Now I just feel like I'm spinning in circles. It's like I came home from an unexpected trip that lasted 6 years and I couldn't bear to unpack so I shoved my suitcase of feelings into the closet and locked it tight. Except that I need some things out of it from time to time and when I reach in just to grab what I think I need, an avalanche of emotions crashes into me. Every single fiber of my being carries the trauma of 6 years of fighting for my son's life. I knew that the end of treatment wouldn't be an easy adjustment but I had no idea the level of melancholy that would set in and how challenging it would be to navigate. And it feels impossible to figure out when your life can only move forward (at best) 3 months at a time until you might be told your child has cancer again.

03/19/2026

Vincent had a blast on another school field trip! We are so grateful for these experiences.

03/15/2026

Not only did Mina receive the United Mission in Advocacy Award for her Blood Cancer United campaign last week, but she was also named a 2026 Carson Scholar for her academic and humanitarian excellence!!

We are so incredibly proud of her ❤️

03/08/2026

Last night we attended the Blood Cancer United Grande Finale for the Delaware Student Visionaries Campaign. Student Visionaries lead their teams on a 7 week campaign to raise money for blood cancer research, family support, and advocacy.

Mina's team, Road to a Cure, had almost 50 members and together (with your help) they raised $30,270.66!!! That is an amazing accomplishment and the whole team should be proud of their success. Although, Mina was not the highest fundraiser to be named the Delaware Student Visionary, she did receive one of three very important awards. She was presented with the United in Advocacy Award for her commitment to being an advocate for Vincent and all families facing a cancer diagnosis. In my opinion, this Award is the best honor to receive because it acknowledges Mina's efforts of being a voice for change like she said before, "suffering thrives in silence".

The collective efforts of the 2026 Student Visionaries raised $371,839 in the little state of Delaware in just 7 weeks!!! That is incredible!!

Thank you to everyone who donated and supported Mina in her campaign. She learned a lot through the process of this program and is planning to continue her involvement through leadership next year.

I want to give a big Thank You to Mina's Sponsors and top donors for Road to a Cure ❤️

Delaware Orthopaedic Specialists
Superior Biologics
CADES
Dr. Sue Rheingold (Vincent's oncologist)
Osiel Lugo
Denise Drake
Scanlon- Norman Family
Michael Maxwell

Great job to all the candidates, volunteers, and staff that ran a wonderful campaign and put together a really nice Grande Finale.

Until a Cure,
The Nowroozi Family

03/07/2026

Ready for the Blood Cancer United Delaware Student Visionary of the Year Grand Finale!!

I am so proud of Mina and all of the candidates who are leading their generation in the fight against cancer.

There is still time to support Mina!
https://pages.lls.org/svoy/de/svoydelaware26/mnowroozi

Good luck to all the Candidates!

03/07/2026

Imagine being 7 years old with a new baby brother. You go to school one morning excited that it's the end of the year and summer break is days away. You just spent the weekend at the swim club and you have a playoff softball game that night. You don't know it yet but it's the last day of your carefree childhood. By the end of the day, you're sleeping at your mom-mom's house wondering when your parents will come home from the hospital with your 4 month old baby brother. You never go to school again without worrying about whether or not your brother is going to die or if his cancer is back.

Cancer didn't take over her body but it did take over her life.

Just this week, 8 years later, while Vincent went to the hospital for his 53rd brain & spine MRI, Mina went to school knowing that she might come home to a different life.

I am so proud of my kids, they have both overcome more than most people will ever face in their entire lifetimes. But, I am most proud of their bond ❤️

There are a few hours left to help Mina in her Student Visionary of the Year campaign. Please see the 🔗 in comments to support her.