Support the Cunningham Family - Axel’s Treatment Journey

Logan, Axel’s mom, has shared the following with us about his story:

On March 10th we took Axel to the UVA Emergency Room because he’d been experiencing neck & head pains, then his eyes started to cross. We knew something was wrong. They did a quick scan MRI and found a brain tumor, along with extra fluid on the brain. Two days later, they did surgery to remove the tumor & place a drain tube to relieve the extra fluid. Everything went smoothly, but unfortunately, additional cancer was found on the lining of his spine. We were in the PICU at UVA for 10 long nights, then moved down to the acute pediatric unit for another night. On March 21st we were discharged. We’ve made several trips back to UVA for follow ups, the latest one being yesterday, where Axel had another quick scan MRI to ensure the fluids on the brain were continuing to drain properly (which they are - what a blessing). He also had a spinal tap done, so we can know if there’s cancer in his spinal fluid. We don’t have those results yet. Next week, Axel will have another surgery at UVA to have a port implanted, then later in the week we’ll head to Children’s National Hospital & Sibley Memorial (in DC) to meet with their medical teams, who will be administering radiation treatments for six weeks.

First & foremost, I just want to thank all of our family & friends for all of the support, prayers, help with the girls, EVERYTHING! There’s no way we could do this without yall! Next, I’d like to ask for prayers. Please pray for Axel. He’s a tough kid. He’s strong, stubborn, and so full of himself But cancer is scary. Pray that these treatments will heal his body. I’d also like to ask for prayers for the rest of us. The girls are having to adjust to us not being present as much as before, and I know that’s hard on them. But they’ve done amazing❤️ I’m so, so proud.

This is a very scary thing to have to endure, and it just doesn’t seem fair. If you know Axel, you know he’s a little goofball. He’s such a happy kid (most of the time), and he loves to laugh and play and be crazy. One thing I’m grateful for is even after his surgery, his personality was strong. He had the staff at UVA cracking up! I pray his treatments don’t take his personality.

The past 31 days have been a lot of things. But I thank you all for your continued prayers & support. It means the world to us