By Margaret Maccoll
Words of support posted on the gofundme page for Cooroy teenager Jayden Potter who is undergoing chemotherapy for a pituitary tumour is providing a welcome boost.
“It shows people care,” Jayden’s father Duane said.
“It’s a way of people saying I’m sorry you’re going through it, and giving money lessens the burden.”
When the 18-year-old Year 12 student briefly lost his peripheral vision in July his family thought it was most probably due to stress and related to previous eye problems.
A trip to the doctor to check it out led to a referral to a specialist who ordered an MRI scan that showed a tumour on his pituitary gland.
“Obviously, it was a big shock,” Duane said. “The tumour was pushing on his optic nerve. He could have become blind.”
Duane said over the years Jayden, who is second of five children, had been undergoing treatment for suspected dyslexia and to strengthen the muscles around his eyes.
“We only found out these symptoms were because of this tumour,” he said.
The pituitary gland sits behind the bridge of the nose attached to the base of the brain by a thin stalk and controls other hormone glands in the body.
Duane said about 98 per cent of these tumours are benign. However, Jayden’s tumour had an aggressive section the doctors wanted to treat using chemotherapy over four months with the possibility of radiation and surgery in the future.
After four sessions the tumour had reduced by two-thirds, but he has had continued chemotherapy and will have radiation treatment next year and the family are hoping he may not need surgery.
Duane said it had been an emotional journey for the whole family but “they were blessed to have kids who are understanding” and they had drawn strength and support from their faith and church.
Duane said his wife Christine had set up a gofundme page for Jayden and money donated was going in trust toward any future medical costs, health recovery and to see some dreams come true.
For more visit www.gofundme.com/jayden-potter or to help phone 0411 772 122.
