During last three weeks Jimmy has had difficulties with his left foot.  We visited an orthopedic who said it was just a sprained ankle, but since the problem persisted, we visited a second orthopedic who told us it has nothing to do with orthopedics, and that we had to visit immediately a neurologist... Ugly thoughts run into my mind... Neurologist??? Is that a syndrome? A nervous system infection???

It is heavy rain day, and I drive like crazy to doctor's office.  I arrive first... After few minutes, down the street, I see Jimmy coming with my wife... He is holding his mother hand with one hand and his little umbrella with the other... He is smiling at me... This picture will stay forever in my mind.

Visit to the neurologist was an eye-opener... During examination, we noticed that not only left foot but also left arm is not functioning normally... Something is going on in the brain... We need an immediate MRI... I asked the doctor what it can be... he said it could be from a simple hematoma to a tumor... 

I was wearing a new pair of shoes today... A very business-type of shoe not made for walking on wet streets... Getting out of doctor's office and because of the rain I slipped several times... My boy gave me his hand and told me that he will hold my hand so I don't fall down... That's typical Dimitris... Sensible and ready to help everyone... That's also something I will never forget.

Going back home, we immediately arranged for a next day MRI... Everything looked like a bad dream... A nightmare... It is more than clear that we didn't sleep that night... In fact it was the worst night of my life...

MRI day, and all of us went to the hospital.  The MRI took more than 90 minutes... Too long for an MRI... Noone was telling us anything... This cannot be good... When the doctor came out, his face was full of  disappointment... Jimmy was diagnosed with the worst and most aggressive brain tumor... Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG)... . The tumor is quite big, it cannot be removed, and it needs immediate treatment with radiation and chemotherapy... We should contact a children oncologist right away...

Appointment with doctors was immediately arranged... Situation critical... The tumor is big and aggressive, treatment must start asap... Doctors do not talk about prognosis... They say each patient is different, there is no reason to talk about statistics... When doctors do not give percentages of survival things cannot be good, I think to myself... But we will fight... Jimmy is strong... If someone can beat this thing, it is him!  We feel devastated, but faith starts growing inside...

After a week of preparation, today we started treatment... Heavy radiation in 30 sessions and chemotherapy... Jimmy is quite tired... He hardly walks. We have told him that there is a small ball in his brain that blocks the nerve and that's why his foot and arm are not very strong... We have to kill the "small ball" and everything will go back to normal.

I feel the need to get some second medical opinions from hospitals outside Greece... So I sent the MRI and all medical info to several hospitals in Europe and the US...  I am looking forward to an optimistic reply...

Due to everyday visits to the hospital and suppressed immune system Jimmy cannot go to school.  However his teachers visit us at home and give him some private lessons... Great help... He should feel that life goes on and continuing with his lessons is a good step!

A friend of mine talked to me about a monastery in Mytilini island. In this monastery you can find a holy picture of Taxiarchis, the archangel of God. According to many people Taxiarchis is responsible for many miracles over the last decades...

I have never been a warm supporter of any religion... But now, for the first time in my life, I feel the need to pray and beg for the life of my son... I fly to Mytilini and I find myself kneeling before the picture of Taxiarchis begging him to heal my son... 

I am leaving the monastery full of serenity and hope that God will help us.

One day before Christmas, and while we approach the end of the treatment bad news arrived from the US... An expert from John Hopkins, sent his second medical opinion, indicating that "ALL children with DIPG will die within two years...". So simple... Not "Most of the children", not "usually", but a very hard to accept ALL.  He suggested that we should take advantage of the "holiday" period that will last 3-5 months after initial treatment (as holiday period he describes the period without symptoms...), and we do things that will give joy to Dimitris, because after 3-5 months symptoms will return... Not maybe, not usually... Symptoms WILL return...  Who is this guy??? Is he God??? How can he be so sure about the progress of the disease... ???  I hate him from the bottom of my existence... and I hope he is wrong... Worst Christmas EVER... 

However, we still do not lose faith... No doctor is capable of making us stop looking for the miracle... 

Usually this period is the best time of the year... Not this year... We try to act as normal as possible but it is so damn hard... A year is leaving with the worst memories, a new one is coming and the only thing we can do is continue to believe, hope and pray... continue to look for the miracle... 

Last treatment today... Dimitris is in very good shape... He walks much better, he sleeps without strange reactions... He got of course some weight from cortisone, and his sweet face is totally round... Hopefully he didn't lose his hair, only a very few around his ears from radiation... MRI is scheduled for Jan. 29 to see what we achieved.  Till then a nice break from hospitals and medication.

My feelings are mixed... I feel happy that treatment is over, on the other hand I know that radiation is the best weapon against this thing... And we cannot use it anymore...