Montana Hope Project,
Thank you so much for granting Shay’s wish to see a Celtics game in Boston! We had so much fun. On our trip, we took in the sights of New York City for a day, then drove to Boston from there to Shay’s doctor appointments at Boston Children’s Hospital.
After his appointments, we went to TD Garden, watched the Celtics warm up, took pictures on the basketball court, and Shay was presented with a bunch of gifts (a jersey with his last name on it, t-shirt, Celtic shoes, socks, and a hat)!
We then went into a private restaurant in TD Garden, ate a delicious supper, and had a surprise visitor, Leon Powe. Leon played for the Celtics from 2006-2009, and played in the championship for the Celtics in 2008, which they won! It was such an honor meeting and visiting with him.
After supper, we watched the Celtic game against the New Orleans Pelicans; the Celtics won the super exciting game!
Thank you for our trip, Montana Hope Project! We would have never been able to do this without you as we are in over our heads with medical debt and all the medical travel expenses.
Shay was diagnosed with a Prolactinoma in January of 2015; it was during basketball season when he started not feeling well. Shay has been a varsity basketball and varsity football player throughout his high school years.
Even after we found out about his tumor, the doctors allowed him to continue sports as long as he felt up to it. Shay is so strong and no matter how sick he was, he always pushed through and played. He is my hero!
A lot of people have pituitary tumors (Prolactinoma), but Shay’s is complex as there is no opening; the tumor is completely surrounding/engulfing his pituitary. This makes surgery very risky as it could result in Shay going blind, pancreatitis, and diabetes insipidus.
These results would be permanent the rest of his life. Since being diagnosed up until now, the doctors are trying to shrink his tumor with medication making surgery the very last resort.
The pituitary tumor has caused Shay to be short (his growth plates are closed, so he cannot take growth hormones); he is 18 years of age and 5’3,” but that did not slow him down with sports; he is an incredible athlete in both football and basketball!
The tumor has also wreaked havoc with his thyroid and testosterone levels. Shay will be under medical advisement for probably the rest of his life, although, he continues to stay positive and upbeat.
Thank you so much for blessing our family! We cannot even begin to express our gratitude!
