4-year-old boy battling brain cancer needs to undergo test

Tyrone James Danao

MANILA, Philippines — Before 4-year-old Tyrone James Danao was diagnosed with brain tumor last year, the young boy complained of a headache almost every other day.

“He would ask us to tie his head with a piece of cloth just so the pain would stop. Then he would cry and throw up. It was heartbreaking,” said Danao’s father, Albert, a construction worker in Piat, Cagayan province.

Albert said that doctors at the provincial hospital had diagnosed his son with medulloblastoma, a malignant brain tumor.

They recommended that he undergo chemotherapy but since the hospital had no equipment, the boy was transferred to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila.

At PGH, doctors removed only part of the tumor to avoid damaging Danao’s brain. They also created a hole in his neck to help him breathe and make it easier to suction out phlegm.

Of the eight cycles of chemotherapy recommended by PGH doctors, Danao has completed seven. He will undergo the last one before the end of the month.

“In the meantime, my son must undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test to check if the tumor has spread to his spine. The test will cost P47,000,” Albert said as he appealed for help from Inquirer readers.

Albert can be reached at 0977-6161928. Donations can be deposited in his son’s BDO account (# 002410184983).