^^Angel^^ William S. - Quilt Finished in 2003

Born: May 24, 1995 - Passed Away: July 29, 2005

Illness: Astrocytoma

Thank you from William's Family!

(Written when he received his quilt in 2003)

You are all such wonderfully giving people....what a special

moment to see William open his box and look...and look...and squeal...and find his William the Lionhearted Lion which made him feel strong...he wants it up on the wall for everyone to see....He loves it! And the pillows were so special. I had no idea you were each embroidering...so much love from each quilter fused in one...

Thank you very much. May God Bless all your lives.

Maria and William

William's story was written back when he was added to MACS as a "Featured Kid of the Month". He passed away on July 29th, 2005.

William's Story

written by mom Maria

We feel William was born with his brain tumor, but in the beginning, the symptoms were very subtle and easily misread, so we had one of those long roads to discovery: he was 2 years old when we finally found it.

His only symptom as a baby was a turned-in left eye, but then the eye began to jiggle, and after many pediatrician visits, eye doctor visits, and other check-ups, a thorough exam by a Lions Club orthoptic specialist confirmed our long-standing suspicions, and an MRI was finally ordered.

William's tumor is considered low-grade, which can be a good thing in the brain tumor world, because it means it is slow to change, but when it was discovered, its location made it largely inoperable. Surgery at the time removed just a small part.

Around age 3, we were told that it was showing growth, so we went through about 60 weeks of chemo along with hospital admissions. His seizures would intensify during chemo, so more often than not, hospital admissions meant seizure admissions. When William graduated from preschool at age 5, he also completed his entire chemo protocol.

As time went on, we became better informed as advocates for our son: we kept watch for new techniques and new treatments, joined Internet support groups, and checked around the country for second opinions. In 2002, we were told by neurosurgeon Dr. Peter Black that surgical technology had improved enough to consider a second brain surgery, which safely removed a portion of tumor and successfully stopped most of the seizures that impacted his life.

William is feisty, strong, happy, slightly spoiled, thoughtful, and proud to be a Wolf scout. His language and thinking are slower than his peers, he's very literal, very naive. But he is the first one who'll respond to a baby’s cry, first one to offer a hand on your shoulder, the first person who will ask you, "And how are you today?"