It wasn't long after Matteo Blomme's 4th birthday that he started getting sick.
His mother, Bianca, said she knew something was wrong but after multiple doctor, pediatrician, and hospital visits they still didn't have a diagnosis.
"His belly still hurt," Bianca said. "An ultrasound was done, and he was sent home from the hospital. [We] were back the next day as he was dehydrated," she added.
The family, from Chatham, went through almost a month of tests, X-rays, bloodwork, and Urgent Care visits in both Chatham and London with no answers, and all the while Matteo was in pain.
Bianca said that a CT scan was finally ordered by a doctor who believed Matteo's symptoms meant that he could have a brain tumor. Matteo's mother and father, Chad, decided that they couldn't wait the 5-7 days for the test and went to the hospital as soon as possible.
About three hours after the scan was performed, Bianca recalled hearing some of the worst news a parent could hear. Matteo had a two-centimetre tumor in his brain.
"Suddenly, things started moving quickly," Bianca noted. She said that almost as soon as the consent forms were signed the doctors were ready to begin operating. "[We] had just enough time to kiss the top of Matteo's head and walk him down the hallway into surgery," she said.
The surgeons managed to remove most of the tumor, but it was confirmed that Matteo has medulloblastoma, a very aggressive stage 4 brain cancer.
Matteo went through three cycles of chemotherapy in London before he was transferred to SickKids in Toronto for three more cycles of high-dose chemotherapy and a stem cell rescue transplant.
Matteo is currently completing cycle 3 and his whole family is hoping for a quick, easy recovery.
The family has been staying in a hotel in Toronto while Matteo undergoes treatment.
"Things have become very expensive for us, with homes, bills, kids back home, food, groceries, and Matteo's extra needs..." his mother explained.
She added that a GoFundMe was set up in the summer when Matteo initially started his treatments, but donations dried up several months ago. The family also recently ran a 50/50 draw to help with costs.
Bianca expressed her gratitude for the community, saying how appreciative and thankful they are for all the help they've received.
"Matteo is having a hard time coping with these long hospital stays," she said.
But TJ Brodie, another Chatham native, recently visited him in the hospital and lifted Matteo's spirits. "[It] brightened his whole day," Bianca said. "Matteo hasn’t stopped talking about him since he left," she added.
Several other Leafs, including Leafs captain John Tavares also visited Matteo.
