The conversation lasted only a few seconds, but it changed the lives of Dean Stratton and his family. “I have bad news,” a doctor told them. “It’s a brain tumor, and it looks like cancer.” Days later, a pathology report confirmed that Dean, not yet a year old, had anaplastic ependymoma. His tumor was malignant and very aggressive.
Dean soon began chemotherapy treatments that required two-week stays in the hospital. The process was difficult, but it didn’t take away his joy. “He smiled the whole time,” Dean’s mom, Leighann said. “Everyone commented on how happy he was.”
Dean was able to spend his first birthday, which fell on Thanksgiving Day in 2022, and Christmas at home before beginning proton radiation therapy as follow-up to the chemo. His treatment ended in late February 2023, and by April his first treatment scan was clear with no evidence of disease.
Now, Dean is undergoing some additional therapy to help him meet the developmental milestones that were delayed due to his cancer treatment, and Leighann says he’s doing well overall. The Strattons remain grateful to Dean’s care team. “I remember the names of all these people,” Leighann said, “because they were so important in our lives.”
