The Beginning

We would like to introduce to you 6 year old Alex Terry.  Alex is a bubbly, energetic little boy, full of life and fun loving.  He is a great brother to his older sister, two brothers and a wonderful son to his parents Andrew and Kathy.  Kathy is expecting a baby girl and is due in 4-6 weeks.  Everything was going along just the way it should for this wonderful little family when they received the most horrible news that any family can receive.     
A few weeks ago Alex's mom, Kathy thought he was not quite acting like himself.  He was less energetic, had trouble eating and could barely hear him when he spoke.  His mom took him to see the family doctor who told Alex, "You are a very sick little boy."  They found that Alex had an ear infection, sore throat, a nasty case of bronchitis.   Alex said, in his most enthusiastic voice, "I'm not sick! I don't feel sick!" 
After 2 rounds of antibiotics his ear infection had cleared up but he continued to be lethargic and his swallowing and speaking was getting worse.  Alex went to more doctor appointments with specialists and more tests and the answers started to come back. 
First they heard that he had a paralyzed right vocal cord.  This was concerning but treatable.  When looking up paralyzed vocal cords on the internet, it stated that many times the cause is idiopathic, a fancy word for not knowing what the cause is but the treatment is a simple procedure and things are relatively normal after a short recovery.  Before the appointment for the procedure could even be set, Alex's parents began noticing that Alex was having more trouble speaking and that his mouth was starting to droop on the right side.  They immediately called the doctors and they moved up an MRI that was scheduled to be performed later just to rule out a tumor.  That next day, Alex found himself in a big room with a big machine that made a lot of noises, lying very still while his parents and family prayed like they have never prayed before that this test would show no tumors and that Alex was going to have a full recovery.   
The news came back and it was not good.  Little Alex was diagnosed with a glioma, which is a cancerous tumor on his brain stem.  The most aggressive type of tumor in the worst of places.  
Life for that little family completely changed in an instant.  Kathy, Andrew and the kids found themselves going from being excited about welcome their 5th child into the world to praying for a miracle at Alex's bedside in the hospital, trying to decipher medical discussions that included treatment options, diagnoses and prognoses while still trying to accept the fact that their beautiful little boy was just diagnosed with a cancerous tumor that had a very grim prognosis. We have started this blog in hopes of helping the family with spiritual, emotional, and financial support. Please join us in lifting the Terry family up in prayer and our hopes for a miracle. If you would like to donate money to help the Terry family look for the PayPal link on this page.  There is also an option of donating locally at any Zion's Bank under the name Alex Ryan Terry.

As of today, the rare, aggressive tumor has advanced to his spinal cord. Awaiting options from the doctors.  Keep Alex in your prayers!