On May 8, 2025, his life changed in a matter of hours.

Atlas had been slowing down for weeks. He wasn?t himself anymore. He was more tired than usual, complained of pain, struggled with constipation, had intermittent fevers, and I knew something wasn?t right. I took him to the emergency room expecting answers, but not the answer you got.

A CT scan revealed a massive tumor, nearly 12 cm in size, filling much of his abdomen. It was pushing his stomach and intestines out of place and wrapping around major blood vessels near his spine. Everything stopped in that moment.

Over the next several days, our world became hospitals, scans, biopsies, surgeries, and waiting. He underwent procedures for a biopsy and central line placement, and eventually had a feeding tube placed because eating became so difficult.

On May 16, 2025, pathology confirmed the diagnosis:

High-risk neuroblastoma with unfavorable histology.

The cancer had already spread.

It was found in his bone marrow, and MIBG imaging showed disease throughout his body, making it Stage 4, high-risk neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma often begins in the adrenal gland or nearby nerve tissue and can spread to the bones and bone marrow before symptoms become obvious. 

Treatment started almost immediately.

Over the following months, Atlas endured rounds of intensive chemotherapy. He collected his own stem cells on June 27 in preparation for later treatment. Despite how sick he became, the chemotherapy worked better than many expected. His bone marrow cleared. Tumors in his skull and spine disappeared. His chest disease shrank by about 70%, and his abdominal tumor shrank by roughly 30%.

In September, he began dinutuximab immunotherapy, one of the most painful parts of treatment. He spent five days at a time in the hospital receiving infusions while requiring aggressive pain control.

Then, on December 8, 2025, surgeons attempted to remove his primary tumor in Iowa. Because it was wrapped tightly around major blood vessels, only about 30% could safely be removed.

Just over two weeks later, on December 24, another MIBG scan delivered devastating news.

The cancer had spread aggressively, with new skull lesions. After months of progress, Atlas was now considered to have refractory disease. The hope I had built during those early months collapsed overnight.

Rather than giving up, I fought for a changed course.

In early 2026 he began a new combination of lorlatinib, topotecan, and cyclophosphamide. Once again, Atlas responded. Imaging showed approximately a 63% response. The primary tumor became smaller, most remaining disease was no longer MIBG-avid, and one skull lesion completely resolved.

Seeking every possible option, we traveled to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Their surgeons believed they could do more.

On June 10, 2026, Atlas underwent one of the biggest operations of his life. They successfully removed the entire right-sided tumor, including the right adrenal gland, carefully peeling cancer away from the inferior vena cava and the aorta. Afterwards, his bone marrow remained clear.

Recovery was anything but easy. He developed high fevers, low oxygen levels requiring PICU care, bradycardia, severe diarrhea that lasted for weeks, electrolyte abnormalities, abdominal distension, painful skin breakdown, and multiple readmissions. Even so, the surgery achieved what many thought might not be possible: the right side was left free of visible disease.

Now his fight continues.

He remains on treatment while preparing for another surgery to remove the remaining disease on the left side, followed by proton radiation.

From May 8, 2025, until today, Atlas has endured:

• A Stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma diagnosis.
• Bone marrow involvement and widespread metastatic disease.
• Multiple surgeries.
• Months of chemotherapy.
• Immunotherapy.
• Stem cell collection.
• Targeted therapy.
• Countless scans, procedures, admissions, setbacks, and recoveries.

And through it all, he has continued fighting.

His story has never been a straight line. It has been moments of hope followed by setbacks, then hope again. Every time the disease has forced a new path, he has continued moving forward. Nearly fifteen months after the day a CT scan revealed a 12 cm abdominal mass, Atlas is still here, still smiling, still growing, and still giving his team reasons to keep believing. We are preparing for his second major surgery on August 10th. Atlas and his mom will be in NYC 800 miles from home for nearly a month. Atlas will endure a lot, recovery will be hard and nearly impossible on his tiny body. This is his only chance.