In mid-April 2019, Kai was taken to the hospital complaining of neck pain. The ER doctor diagnosed him with stiff neck and recommended physical therapy. During this time, Kai also started to have what he described – with his limited communication skills due to Autism – as eye pain and watery eyes (which we now believe were headaches). He was taken to the eye doctor with no resultant diagnosis or treatment prescribed. After another 1.5 -2 weeks without much progress, and an incident of severe pain, he was rushed back to the same hospital. An MRI was ordered, and a mass was found…diagnosis: Posterior Fossa Tumor.

Kai was operated on within 2 days to install a shunt to release pressure from the brain fluid that had accumulated due to the blockage by the tumor. This picture was taken in the ICU 2 days after the shunt insertion surgery, and about two hours before the actual tumor resection.

At this particular moment, Little Buddy had already gone through a lot. The anesthesiologist had to take out his two front incisors when he was under because they were loose and could accidently be swallowed, he was experiencing some discomfort from the shunt surgery, and to make matters worse they had to insert a catheter because one of the pain medications was preventing him from urinating. In spite of all this, he had the strength and will to smile for a family selfie. – Kai – Strong, unbreakable (in Burmese)