BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Brown family calls their son Soliel which means "as bright as the sun." 11-year-old DaJuan Brown is a smart child with so much to offer, but now he is battling cancer.
DaJuan Brown turned 11 on May 24 and five days later he was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG).
According to doctors at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, "DIPG is a type of tumor that starts in the brain stem, the part of the brain just above the back of the neck and connected to the spine. The brain stem controls breathing, heart rate and the nerves and muscles that help us see, hear, walk, talk and eat."
The child's parents started noticing symptoms of something wrong in March. They were told he had ear infections, and then his mother Da Shawn Baldwin said she "started seeing his eye shift which is like loss of movement of the eye."
In late May, DaJuan Brown became lethargic at school. He told his mom he felt like his brain was stuck in a trance and he couldn't do anything.
He was taken to Oishei Children's Hospital where tests eventually revealed had a rare form of brain cancer.
"The tumor is intertwined in the brain stem, making it inoperable," according to his grandmother Brenda Mangum, who is a nurse.
"They told us there is no survival rate. It was a hard pill to swallow, knowing that there is no cure, knowing that it's a zero survival rate," said the boy's father DaJuan Brown Sr. "You're just praying and hoping that something works, faith and hope is all we have left."
DaJuan Brown is a fifth grade student at International School 45 in Buffalo.
A teacher established a gofundme account called DaJuan's Fight to help the family with medical expenses not covered by the family's insurance. There will be a need for a wheelchair and a stair lift at their home.
DaJuan Brown remains hospitalized undergoing chemotherapy and radiation. The next step, according to his parents will be clinical trials.
"I would have never imagined in a million years a diagnosis like this, he's been perfectly healthy his entire life," his mom said.
The family says DaJuan Brown's spirits remain upbeat.
A fundraiser will be held this summer.