Support Joseph's Sidekicks

Joseph’s Treatment Plan

Joseph’s care team recommended that a more aggressive treatment path called Head Start 4. This protocol is a randomized clinical trial hosted and coordinated by Nationwide Children’s NEXT Consortium, with other treatment centers participating around the world. The goals of this study are to determine if the treatment in the protocol will improve the quality of survival and cure rates for young children newly diagnosed with malignant brain tumors like Joseph’s.

Joseph’s treatment plan includes:

• 3 rounds of aggressive chemo @ MUSC in Charleston, SC
  • Round 1 completed Nov 2020
  • Round 2 completed Dec 2020
  • Stem cell harvesting
  • Round 3 completed February 2021
  • Joseph had spinal tap & MRI March 5th, which resulted in amazing news no presence of Cancer in his brain/ spinal fluid. Meaning his treatment is having the desired successful results
  • Joseph at home resting the month of March
  • Joseph was assigned 3 more round of chemo with 3 transplants per the head start 4 study
  • Bone Marrow harvest in late April only produced enough product for 1 transplant
  • Due to the product quantity for transplant, the parents and doctor team decided to leave the Head Start 4 study, BUT use it as a road map and assume he could have been randomized to 1 round.
  • Joseph started round 4 of chemo in May
  • May 10 – Joseph had successful bone marrow transplant
  • May – June – Joseph recuperated inpatient at MUSC Children’s Hospital
  • July 11-Sept 3rd – Proton Therapy in Jacksonville FL
  • Sept 3rd – Joseph successfully completed 6 weeks of Proton Radiation Treatment
  • Sept 12, 2020 Original Diagnosis Date … Sept 13, 2021 Pediatric Medulloblastoma officially in remission after a year of treatment!
  • Oct 25, 2021 – First post treatment MRI. Fingers crossed for continued No Evidence of Disease (NED).
    Super Joe will have scans every 6 weeks for the first year to monitor his progress of healthy cancer free living 🙂
  • Jan 2023 – Jospeh continues living each day to the fullest cancer free as we approach the 3 year mark in Sept 2023.