Tommy has had several nicknames throughout his life, and I bet he never imagined any of them would become this public. “Chancho” is the mainstay in our household, but another favorite from his childhood was “Caterpillar.” Truth be told, I have no idea what inspired that one. As he’s grown, we’ve used it less and less… but this summer, we were reminded of it when several caterpillar visitors unexpectedly showed up in our lives.

Another five-day hospital stay is wrapping up as Tommy completes his fourth round of chemotherapy. He has been handling the treatments like a champ. The drugs make him much more tired than usual, and he feels some discomfort in his stomach, but overall his side effects are managed very well.

Today was a big day with a lot of information. We met many people who will be on Tommy’s care team. Most importantly, we spent a lot of time with his oncologist, Dr. Brenda Weigel, and we now have a clear picture of what his treatment will look like in the coming months.

After a biopsy on September 23, we received the life-changing news that Tommy has Ewing Sarcoma, a rare and aggressive type of cancer. To say this was a shock is the understatement of the century. However, we are feeling nothing but hope and confidence that Tommy will get to the other side of this.