Isaiah was a happy and healthy baby boy—playing, crawling, walking, eating, talking, laughing—until at 9 months of age when he was diagnosed with Hepatoblastoma, a rare cancerous tumor in the liver that occurs primarily in children. Isaiah had 4 rounds of chemotherapy followed by surgery to remove the tumor. Isaiah went into cardiac arrest during the operation which left him with brain damage.
Now at 19 months of age, Isaiah is fed through an NG tube and receives 8 different medications at specified times throughout the day and night. He is making some progress—holding his head up, smiling, and verbalizing simple baby sounds and words.
Isaiah lives with his mom, Tish, and grandparents in Baltimore, MD. Life has been a challenge and a struggle for them since his cancer diagnosis and treatment. Tish is a single mom and due to Isaiah’s need for constant care had to reduce her employment from full-time to part-time, cutting her salary in half. Cancer medications, treatments, and doctors’ visits are expensive, and Tish has not been able to afford some of the other things Isaiah needs, such as a medical stroller.
JUST TRYAN IT racers, along with community support, raised enough money in December 2018 to purchase a medical stroller for Isaiah, along with gift cards and clothing.
Tish is most grateful to JUST TRYAN IT for this and all the financial help they have given her and Isaiah. Without it, she says there were times she felt like giving up. JUST TRYAN IT is helping Isaiah and her live with lives that have been upset by cancer.
Isaiah and Tish will be at the Alexandria race in September 2019 as our Face of the Race.