As New Jersey families move from the holiday season into a new year, one family is reflecting on a medical crisis that changed their lives and the hope that followed. Last December, 14-year-old Jimmy from Central New Jersey thought he had a simple sinus infection. Days before winter break, he collapsed outside his pediatrician’s office, alarming his parents.
Health Technology Insights: Adagio Medical Adds Executives to Boost ULTC Launch
“I noticed my son’s skin looked gray and pale,” said Janet, Jimmy’s mother. “My dad passed away from a brain tumor, and what I saw in Jimmy felt eerily familiar. I looked into his eyes and knew something serious was happening.”
Neurosurgeons at Hackensack Meridian Health’s Jersey Shore Medical Center acted quickly, performing an emergency procedure to relieve life-threatening pressure on Jimmy’s brain. Subsequent tests, including a biopsy, confirmed a rare but highly treatable cancer known as a germinoma that was blocking his brain’s fluid pathways.
“When he collapsed, we had three hospitals nearby we could have gone to,” said James Sr., Jimmy’s father. “Choosing Jersey Shore was a blessing. The neurosurgeons there were immediately available, and a delay at another hospital could have been critical.”
Health Technology Insights: Connecticut HIE Adopts PIQXL Gateway to Boost Data Quality
By April, chemotherapy had successfully eliminated the tumor, giving Jimmy a strong prognosis and setting the stage for the next steps in his treatment plan. Janet explained that the family was then referred to ProCure Proton Therapy in Somerset. At ProCure, Dr. Timothy Chen, M.D., who specializes in pediatric and central nervous system cancers and has clinical experience from Japan, used targeted proton therapy to address areas where residual tumor cells might hide.
“Dr. Chen was calm and reassuring,” Janet said. “He understands where these cancer cells tend to hide and knows how to use proton therapy to prevent recurrence.”
“Proton therapy allows us to deliver radiation directly to the tumor while sparing healthy brain tissue, which supports better long-term cognitive and functional outcomes,” said Dr. Chen. Dr. Brian Chon, M.D., Medical Director at ProCure, added that children and teens require carefully tailored treatment, and the team works closely with families to create individualized plans.
Now, as the new year begins, Jimmy is thriving. He is involved in theater, practicing guitar, achieving excellent grades, and inspired by his experience to pursue a future career in healthcare. His family is celebrating not just clear scans but the everyday joys they once feared might be lost.
“At ProCure, they did more than treat Jimmy’s cancer,” Janet said. “The team uplifted him and shared their knowledge openly. That guidance has helped shape the bright future he is planning.”
Health Technology Insights: ACCO Brands to Acquire EPOS
To participate in our interviews, please write to our HealthTech Media Room at info@intentamplify.com
