Liam Webb was a normal, happy 3 year old boy. He loved playing with his sisters, eating pizza and jumping away in bounce houses. He was in perfect health and I had no reason to think that anything might be wrong with my child. During Spring break of 2013, my mom noticed that Liam was leaning his head to the side. I brushed it off and continued on with life. About a week later, my mother in law fle
w in to town and noticed that his head was tilted as well. I decided to take him to his pediatrician to have it looked at. The doctor believed it was an injury, and sent us home with orders to give him ibuprofen for the swelling and to come back in 2 weeks if his neck was not better. Two weeks passed and Liam's neck was still tilted. I posted pictures of him online to ask family and friends if this had ever happened to their kids. I researched online and found explanations that ranged from torticollis to brain tumors. I actually laughed at the brain tumor explanation. "No" I laughed. "It is definitely not that serious!" I decided to call the doctor back to see what he suggested. He referred Liam to see a physical therapist and I called them right away. They were unable to see Liam until June which was still 3 months away! It was then that mother instinct kicked in, and I decided to take him to the emergency room. After a long wait, the doctor finally saw us and suggested an MRI. I thought that was a bit much because they would have to put him under anesthesia. Instead, we opted for the much faster CT scan. I knew nothing would show up. Nothing ever does, right? After another long wait, the doctor returned to our room and asked us to please turn down the Tinkerbelle movie that Liam was watching. It was then that I knew something was very wrong. "Unfortunately, there is a large mass located in your son’s brain." That was all I heard. My head started spinning and my world was shattered. On April 11, 2013, Liam was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It would later be diagnosed as a very rare and aggressive tumor called AT/RT. Despite the diagnosis, Liam was doing so well! He made it through 3 brain surgeries, meningitis and a horrible staph infection that hospitalized him for 4 weeks, 6 weeks of intensive radiation to his brain and 3 bone marrow transplants! After his third and final round of chemotherapy, Liam became ill with RSV which turned into pneumonia. After being hospitalized for a week, he finally began to improve! His fever was gone, he was talking again and was about to be moved from the ICU floor. Unfortunately, and without any warning, Liam passed away on November 23. It was not the cancer that killed him, but the treatments that lowered his immune system so that it was unable to fight infection. We all mourn differently in my family, but we are all still very much mourning. My daughter cries for him every night. My husband remembers Liam saying how much he wanted to play soccer, and that is no longer a possibility. I ache to feel his hugs and cuddles. The cards and letters have now stopped coming. The calls as well. It's to be expected. The world can't mourn with us forever. We need to find a way to continue on without our only son. I'm not in a deep hole. I don't need medication. I just miss him! I will always long for my comedian. My entertainer. My dancer. My singer. My giggler. My snuggle bug. My jumping bean. My helper. My joy. My life. My hero. My son. Linked With Liam is a Federal 501c3 Non Profit Corporation - Registration #46-4500627
