Logan Brown

My daughter was diagnosed with stage IV neuroblastoma when she was just a year and a half old.

On June 6, 2025, I took my youngest daughter,  to the hospital after we returned from Daytona, where we had been for a graduation. Her dad and I noticed she had a fever that would not go away. This wasn’t the first time she had unexplained fevers, but this time there were other symptoms that terrified us.

Months earlier, she had developed what looked like black eyes. We could never pinpoint where they came from, and since she was learning to walk, we assumed she was just a clumsy toddler. The bruising would fade and then come back. We didn’t know then that this was something called “raccoon eyes,” a symptom of aggressive neuroblastoma.

Along with the fevers and bruising, my daughter began to develop lumps on her head in several places. I also noticed that her lymph nodes were swollen. The night before I took her to the hospital, she told me her head hurt. Hearing that from such a little child broke me. As parents, we were terrified. As a mom, I felt completely helpless.

After her diagnosis and numerous scans, we learned she had a tumor near her kidney, by her adrenal gland. The lumps on her head were lesions that had traveled up her spinal cord. Because of how quickly the cancer grew and how young she was, her disease was considered especially aggressive.

Since then, she has endured multiple surgeries and many rounds of chemotherapy, each with severe side effects. Several times, those side effects landed us back in the emergency room. She is currently undergoing her second stem cell transplant. During her first transplant, she developed serious respiratory complications. She was diagnosed with pneumonia, then RSV, and her oxygen levels dropped dangerously low. She was transferred to the ICU, a place no parent ever wants to see their child.

She fought through it. She conquered her first transplant.

Now she is in her second stem cell transplant, and her spirits are higher because this will be her final chemotherapy treatment. Next, she will begin radiation, followed by the last stage of her treatment, immunotherapy.

This journey has changed every part of our lives. Her dad had to cut back his work hours, and I had to stop working entirely to care for her. Her sisters 5 and 3 are confused about her diagnosis and wondering when their sister will be home and in all healed.  Any resources or help we receive are deeply appreciated, but above all, prayers are always welcome.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story.