In 2023, just a few months before his birthday and only 6 weeks following the birth of his sister, Giovanni was formally diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis Type I. This diagnosis came after a prolonged period of unexplained symptoms, behavior changes, and increased worry from his mother and I. After an evening of agonizing migraines, poor sleep, and eventually nausea, we made the decision to take him to Children's Nebraska a week before his scheduled scan. What followed became the first chapter in what is now a fabled story of perseverance, hope, gratitude, and love.

Giovanni was living with an immense and debilitating brain tumor that had encompassed a swath of his optic nerve. At just 2 years old, he had a tumor roughly the size of a golf ball in his brain, filling scans with a large white mass instead of the brain cells and pathways that the typical 2-year-old is developing. Even worse, it was not operable without a severe risk of further damage. Over the course of the next 2 years, Giovanni would become the pinnacle of strength, joy, and endurance. Undergoing several neurosurgeries, countless chemotherapy treatments, COVID, more surgeries, and everything in between, Giovanni took each battle and conquered it with a ferocity that even grown adults would struggle to achieve. Through all of this, his village and support network stood firm by his side, providing care, resources, and love when all felt lost.

Almost exactly a year from his final chemotherapy clapout, Giovanni was diagnosed with a new brain tumor, an unfortunate reality of NF1 and a fear that we as parents have lived with every day since his diagnosis in 2023. We are forever grateful to the gifted and compassionate medical teams at Children's Nebraska. Without them and the intensive monitoring plans they have in place, we may not have caught this as early, repeating the events of the last several years. Although a formidable opponent, we know that we can get through this again, both with the love and resilience we have in our family, and also the generous support of our village.

In the short time between tumors, we were able to consolidate and begin chipping away at the debt that had begun piling from the additional expenses of treatment. Even just a month into this new journey, we have already begun feeling the financial impacts of the many trips to Omaha, the additional medical supplies, and the care items needed to ensure Giovanni is able to live a fulfilled and somewhat normal childhood. Unlike the first endeavor, we know that this one is going to be a minimum of 2-3 years of treatment, with the benefit of his chemotherapy medication being oral at home, and his immune system being less compromised. We are counting our blessings daily, stating our gratitudes, and continuing our mission of spreading knowledge and positivity. With your help, we can continue on with our lives, with minimal financial distractions keeping us from what is important. Providing love and care for our children.

Thank you to everyone who has engaged with our story. Welcome to our village, and know that even when our days are hard, our nights are long, and our souls are shattered, WE'VE GOT THIS.