Tyler was a normal and healthy teenage boy who played all his favorite sports, including football, basketball, and baseball. He had never spent a day in the hospital other than his birthday, June 15, 1993. Tyler was getting sick every so often and only in the morning. This went on for about 2-3 weeks and then he was due for his yearly check-up at the pediatrician. We went to Tyler's scheduled visit and I asked the doctor about him getting sick in the morning. The doctor seemed to think it might be some weird allergic reaction to certain chemical smells, since Tyler was complaining of his sister’s hairsprays and perfumes. The doctor told me to keep an eye on it and write down what he smelled and when he got sick. I did this for the next couple of weeks but then noticed Tyler would complain about headaches more often. I would give him some children’s Motrin and he would be fine.

One day Tyler was complaining about shoulder and neck pain. He had just been working in the garden with his step-father using the garden claw, so naturally I thought that was why he had that pain. After it didn't go away after a couple of days, and Tyler was leaving for school and proceeded to get sick all over the front steps something in my gut told me to get him back to the doctor. Tyler looked at me and said "Mom, I think I need to go back to the doctor" and I said, "I'm already there bud, I will pick you up from school when I get the appointment." Tyler had wanted to go to school that day and when he was finished we went over to the pediatrician’s office. The doctor said we will take care of the worst case scenario first, and sent us to get a CT scan of his brain. He told us to come back over to his office when we were done as he was going to have the radiologist read it right away. So we went back to the office and when he poked his head out and motioned for me to come back myself, I knew it wasn't good, I immediately filled up with tears. He told me there was a "mass" in my son's cerebellum about the size of a golf ball. That day was May 7, 2007, and Tyler was scheduled for surgery the next day. We had brought him in the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) that night and all spent the night with him as they prepared him for surgery the next day. When the surgery was over the doctor came out and told me that I can wait for the pathology report if I want, but he has done enough of these tumor removals to know which ones were cancer and which ones were not. Tyler's tumor was definitely cancerous. My world fell apart at that very moment!

Since then Tyler has received 31 radiation treatments and 12 cycles of chemotherapy, to which I am very happy to say he has responded to very well. Tyler is now 6 months into remission and there are no signs of disease! Tyler is doing really well and I am so grateful for that fact. It was a long road with some speed-bumps along the way but he came through and fought like a champ! He is an inspiration and a blessing! The treatment plan that I picked for Tyler was a clinical trial, thank god for the progress that has been made,  but we need more. There are still so many kids that are diagnosed everyday with this horrible disease and there needs to be more funding for the research. Not everybody's story is like Tyler’s; there are so many children who are taken way too soon from the horrible "monster" called cancer.

Written by Candece Pinto, Tyler’s Mother
07/09

Update: Sadly, Tyler Wiley, passed away on June 12, 2016, comfortably at his home. Tyler was a bright, spirited,  strong,  selfless wonderful young man. Tyler was an excellent student and stellar athlete before he was diagnosed with brain cancer in May of 2007. He was determined and brave and fought his battles with grace and perseverance.  Tyler touched everyone he met, he cared about others and what they were going through--trying to make them smile, rather than complain about the pain he was in or that he was so tired from being at the hospital all day.  He was an amazing young man,  full of life and such happiness!