The McRay family from Oregon was struck by twin disasters that tore apart their otherwise peaceful life. The 4-year-old Jamon McRay’s persistent headaches for the past few days turned out to be something more shocking after he was diagnosed with a malignant tumor. As Jake McRay had just started to deal with the unfortunate news, his wife, Britney, and the mom of their three kids were also diagnosed with cancer on the very same day. In a heartbreaking twist, their oncology appointments were just hours apart, and both the news tore them apart like never before.
Speaking with KDRV, Jake McRay described the state of affairs in the family and said, “Being helpless, like I can’t do anything for them. That’s probably the hardest part.” For the little toddler Jamon, it started with mild headaches that refused to clear over a period of days. Instead, their intensity increased, becoming unbearable for the child. Echoing the troubles, Jake recalled, “Our 4-year-old started complaining of headaches. I mean, they weren’t terrible. But they kind of ramped up for the next few days and became pretty bad.”
Based on preliminary findings, Jamon underwent a 15-hour surgery. The doctors were able to extract most of the tumor, which they initially thought was benign. But the worst was about to come since the pathology detected an aggressive and malignant brain tumor. The helpless father noted, “Initially, they were thinking it was a benign one, and the pathology came back on the 5th, saying it was cancer, an aggressive, malignant type of brain tumor.”
After completing one major surgery, Jamon McRay is scheduled to undergo another. So far, the child has undergone weeks-long daily radiation and months of chemotherapy as doctors attempt to cure what remains of the tumor. According to the boy’s father, Jake, his son’s prognosis does not look very promising at the moment. In his words, “The prognosis for him is not fantastic. Currently, it’s about 50%, but, you know, if they can get all the tumor, it goes up to 70%.”
Read “Oregon Family ‘Facing the Unimaginable’ as Mother and 4-Year-Old Son Are Diagnosed with Cancer 1 Hour Apart” on SmartNews: https://t.co/I2e3hXoOy7
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Shockingly, adding to the family’s worry was the moment when Jamon’s mother, Britney, was also found to be suffering from cancer on the same day. They met with the same oncologist who pronounced the deadly disease for both mother and son. Expressing sheer heartbreak, Jake said, “The same day that we met with or established oncology for my 4-year-old, she established oncology with her oncologist, like the appointments were an hour apart.”
Britney McRay has also started with her chemotherapy. She’s been diagnosed with gestational trophoblastic neoplasia. It is a rare case of cancer that has developed from a molar pregnancy. Meanwhile, the 4-year-old Jamon returned home from the hospital for a brief time to help with the Christmas decorations. Both of them are currently receiving simultaneous treatment, dealing with multiple appointments, and recovering.
Soon after, he went back for his second major surgery. The family’s ordinary life has been turned upside down as they are under major emotional stress. Despite being ill herself, Britney, along with Jake, has been helping their son, Jamon, return to normalcy, including handling his feeding tube, helping him learn to walk again, and more. As they mentally prepare themselves for the second major surgery of their son in California, the parents are also actively taking care of their other two children.
