A Port Coquitlam toddler is recovering at B.C. Children’s Hospital after doctors performed brain surgery on the boy to remove a tumour.
On Wednesday, Isaiah Kissner had his breathing tube removed and was scheduled to leave the intensive care unit following the results of a positive MRI test, which failed to turn up any signs of the tumour.
“He’s awake, able to speak, and calling out ‘Mom mom,’ in between his many ‘noooo’s,’” wrote family friend Brandon Peck of Coquitlam in a GoFundMe campaign to help support the family.
In just four days, the campaign had led to an outpouring of support for the Kissner family. As of Saturday morning, it had raised over $16,000, which is meant to help them with hospital parking costs, eating out every meal and other bills.
“As any parents know, this can be a financial hardship,” wrote Peck, adding that additional costs have “put immense pressure on a family at their greatest time of need.”
The good news: the boy’s neurosurgeon said the surgery was “as successful as it could be,” said father Jon Kissner in post on social media.
Though Peck added, “there are a lot of unknowns still and they don’t know how long they will have to stay in hospital at this point.”
On Friday, the boy's oncologist informed the family that his tumour was likely an aggressive form of cancer found in children. The results have been forwarded to hospitals in Seattle and Tennessee to consult on certain radiation therapies currently unavailable in Canada, confirmed the father Saturday.
"If we get accepted, we would be heading to one of those hospitals for two months," he said in a message relayed through Peck. "After that, Isaiah will likely need to go through chemotherapy for another four months."
"Our hearts are heavy, but... we will continue to press on."
