Blackout Stories: survivors of Northview

Brady Bustrum

When Brady Bustrum was 5 he had an episode that was thought to be a seizure. His teachers found him staring at a wall for an extended period of time without responding. After an EEG to look at his brain activity, doctors found no sign of a seizure. He was sent to a neurologist, who decided to run an MRI for safe measure. That’s when the doctors found a tumor. Bustrum was treated with chemotherapy every other week for a year and then monthly for six months. Throughout the course of Bustrum’s treatments and even after, the tumor did not change, so his doctors identified it as a slow growing tumor. Brady Bustrum no longer has staring spells and he has MRIs every six months to monitor the growth of the tumor.

(Via Mr. Bustrum, Brady’s dad)

Schuyler Kleibusch

In the spring of eighth grade, Schuyler Kleibusch went to his doctor after passing out, finding bumps on his head, and having a bad cough. His doctor referred him to a dermatologist. They then biopsied one of the bumps and found it to be a cancerous tumor. He was sent straight to the emergency room for four days of scans and testing before finding out that he had stage 3 T-cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. After being diagnosed in March, he spent the summer going through weekly treatment of chemotherapy while longing to be with friends, who were enjoying their summer vacation. In 2015, Kleibusch was able to take a trip to Hawaii through Make-A-Wish. In June 2017 he finished treatment.

Colin Bradley

Colin Bradley went to the doctor on May 11, 2012 because of worsening chronic migraines. After drawing blood, he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and within 24 hours began chemo. His treatment took a turn for the worse when, during the summer of 2012, Bradley suffered an allergic reaction to a chemo drug that caused his pancreas to explode, which landed him in the ICU for 35 days. When his sixth grade year began, Bradley was getting nutrition through a feeding tube. At the beginning of the year, he would go to school at the end of the week just to take the quizzes and tests that he had missed. During the period of time he was not in school, he missed his friends and band the most. In seventh grade Bradley finished the intensive schedule of chemo and was able to resume a relatively normal school life. Make-A-Wish sent him to Disney World to scuba dive in the Epcot tank.

Ted Racskowski

After getting sick multiple times within a short time period, 5-year-old Ted Racskowski, went to the doctor to get his blood drawn. Shortly after, he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. His treatment consisted of chemo, which severely weakened him, and spinal tap procedures on and off for three years. Within that time he had an extended stay in the ICU, where he couldn’t leave the hospital for a month. For his Make-A-Wish trip, Racskowski went to Disney World and was able to visit with family. Since finishing his treatment, Racskowski has had no recurring issues with cancer.