NEWBURYPORT — Robbie Vigeant was a typical 13-year-old boy. He went to Nock Middle School, played basketball, and hung out with his friends and four siblings. Until Dec. 15, when life went sideways.
Robbie’s older sisters noticed that his eyes seemed to move involuntarily, and he began having difficulty with depth perception and double vision. Heather Dwan, Robbie’s mother and a travel nurse by profession, brought her son to the emergency room and then saw an ophthalmologist, who initially thought Robbie’s symptoms were “no big deal.” To be on the safe side, however, the eye specialist ordered an MRI.
To the shock of everyone in the Vigeant family, the MRI revealed that the seventh-grader had brain cancer.
“When I was first diagnosed with brain cancer, for a moment I lost all hope. I really thought it was the end,” Robbie says.
Robbie’s mother, too, says, “My mind immediately went to doom and gloom.”
Robbie was admitted to Dana Farber Jimmy Fund Clinic/Children’s Hospital immediately for brain surgery, during which surgeons biopsied the tumor and placed an ETV (endoscopic third ventriculostomy). The ETV will prevent complications from the tumor constricting his cerebrospinal fluid pathway, which flows through the ventricles.
The biopsy performed during that initial surgery on Dec. 17 revealed that Robbie’s tumor is a germinoma, a rare brain cancer originating from misplaced germ cells; it is most commonly found in young males. Germ cells get stuck in the brain during fetal development and multiply abnormally. Most germinomas are located in either the pineal or suprasellar region. With aggressive treatment, the cure rate for this type of tumor is greater than 90%.
Once the family learned of the positive prognosis, they felt relief and gratitude that the cancer was caught so early.
“We have a good treatment plan. I feel good, and I have hope again,’ Robbie said.
In spite of their initial terror about the implications of the diagnosis, the Vigeant family is now focused on helping Robbie through the treatment process.
Beginning this week, Robbie will see a number of specialists, including an audiologist and an endocrinologist. On Jan. 7, he’ll have a lumbar puncture and a catheter placed in preparation for upcoming treatment, which will begin immediately after those procedures have taken place on Jan. 7.
Robbie will endure both chemotherapy and radiation. Chemotherapy will come first, with treatment three days per week for three months. He will be given three weeks off between chemo sessions, during which bloodwork will be done. Once chemo is completed, Robbie will have radiation five days per week for two months. At the conclusion of active treatment, he will continue to have scans and bloodwork to monitor his health. It is likely he will miss a considerable amount of school.
Although Robbie and his family know the next few months will be challenging, they are optimistic about the outcome of treatment.
“I’m kind of in mom overdrive right now,” Dwan said. “Our community has been just great. I’m going to have a lot of help, and I’m so grateful for that.”
Robbie’s mother, whose job as a travel nurse provided the family’s sole income, has had to take unpaid leave in order to attend to the family’s needs in partnership with her husband, Rob. The Vigeant clan includes five children, ranging in age from five to 16, as well as Dwan’s parents, who live with the family. In spite of the medical, financial, and emotional challenges, Robbie’s mother says, “We’re going to get through it.”
The surrounding community of friends and neighbors is already stepping up with meals, rides, and emotional and financial support. Lauren Kantak, Dwan’s best friend since fourth grade, immediately mobilized to create a GoFundMe page for Robbie.
“When something like this happens, you need someone outside the immediately family to spring into action,” Kantak says.
She calls the Vigeant family “my favorite people,” and notes, “The amount of love and care that has been poured into this family is amazing.”
A meal train has been organized and, in just over a week, more than $70,000 has been raised via GoFundMe to provide support that will ease the financial stress the family will face during the coming year.
Dwan says her family has already learned that “anything can change at a moment’s notice, and you have to enjoy everything in the now.” The Vigeants are profoundly grateful for Robbie’s positive prognosis, but Robbie’s mother mourns the loss — albeit temporary — of her son’s carefree and healthy childhood.
For his part, Robbie says he’s learned the importance of hope. While he doesn’t look forward to further surgery, treatment, and an enforced break from school and his beloved basketball, he’s facing the future with optimism. Robbie offers this message to others who may be contending with challenges: “I would tell people that you should always believe you can get through a hard time. You should always try your best. You always have someone by your side, and someone to love you.”