Gavin's Story

I wanted to share the story of Gavin Ambrose, the 5-yr old nephew of my friend & colleague Ember Garrett in San Diego. Please pray for him.  This is Gavin's story as shared by his mom:

Gavin Ambrose (5 years old) is the sweetest and bravest little boy. His laugh is infectious and he is always thinking of others. He can melt your heart with his beautiful blue eyes. He is Caleb's younger brother and the owner of Alex and Max (his two cats).

Gavin's journey with brain cancer began on May 31, 2008 when he was diagnosed with a 5 cm cerebellar tumor. The tumor was removed on June 2nd. Several experts looked at his tumor and were not sure how to classify it since it didn't readily fit into any of the usual categories (glioma, medulloblastoma).

We went to St. Jude's to seek their expert advice. We made new friends in the neurooncology clinic (Dr. Gajjar, Tabitha, Lizzie, and Dori). Since the diagnosis was uncertain, we decided to take a wait and see approach. Gavin had repeat MRIs every 6-7 weeks to make sure the tumor did not recur.

Unfortunately, the tumor came back on his October MRI. Gavin had surgery at Rady Childrens Hospital in San Diego on October 16, 2008 to remove the tumor. The surgery was a success and the entire tumor was removed (we are very thankful for Dr. Michael Levy again).

The pathology results came back the same although the cells seemed more aggressive. Gavin and his father, Chris, went to Florida Proton Therapy in Jacksonville, Florida on November 3rd for proton treatments. They stayed with Grandma Judy and Grandpa George in St. Augustine, FL during his treatment.

Gavin remained tumor free for a year. His tumor recurred in a new location and he has lost the vision in his left eye. Dr. Levy removed the tumor and his vision was restored. Very special tests will be done on his tumor to determine an individualized treatment plan for him since his tumor is unlike anything the doctors have seen before. He began full cranial and spinal radiation on Jan. 19, 2010. Please keep him in your prayers for healing and comfort as he fights in this new battle.


From what Ember tells me, this little guy has exemplified extraordinary courage under extremely difficult circumstances.  I'm sure we could all learn a thing or two about life from young Gavin. 

One - be grateful.  Two - be happy.  Life is too short too be grumpy and ungrateful.

You can follow Gavin's journey via his Facebook page by clicking here.  I definitely agree with this statement on his pags:  Gavin is an amazing little boy who deserves a miracle.

Our prayers are with you!