Step 5: Keep fighting, keep winning
As for treating the secondary effects of the tumor, Aaron will continue working with Lehigh Valley Health Network’s (LVHN) physical therapy team on his balance, strength and other areas of concern. “From Aaron’s initial recovery to his current struggles, the therapists at LVHN have been amazing and they have helped Aaron make tremendous progress,” Heather says. In fact, just recently Aaron returned to the lacrosse field for the first time for a non-contact practice.
“We are really fortunate to have a great team caring for Aaron. It’s incredible to see the difference between where Aaron was before Dr. Hong and the team stepped in and where he is now,” Heather says.
“Dr. Hong is an amazing individual,” Heather says. “He saved my son’s life. He saved him.”
However, according to Dr. Hong, there’s someone else who deserves the credit in Aaron’s continuous recovery – Aaron.
“Parents are always very appreciative to us when there are good outcomes, but to me, a lot of the success is due to the patients and we are catalysts along the way,” Dr. Hong says. “That’s the case with Aaron. He has shown so much resilience and is the most unphased kid ever. He approaches everything very calmly and bravely and sticks with the things he needs to do and is making a good effort at it. That’s really important and that’s really hard because your whole life gets turned upside down, which for a high schooler can feel so huge. The recovery from a surgery like this requires dedication, sacrifice and hard work, and we know that does not come easy. I like to stress to parents that we are a combined team in this, and we will be working together through this whole process to help Aaron get the best possible outcome to lead his best possible life.”
While the future is uncertain, one thing is not: Aaron has the right team alongside him throughout his journey toward recovery.
“My care team is the best that I could ask for – they saved my life,” Aaron says. “I feel very lucky to have them still helping me on my journey. The fight is not done yet, but we are winning!”