When Mercy Krautsieder was pregnant and about to deliver in the summer of 2005, she was expecting a normal birth.
But on July 15, when little Gabriel was brought into the world, something was clearly wrong.
“As soon as the doctors took Gabe out of Mercy’s tummy, everybody started to move very quick,” says husband Oliver, from the living room of the family’s south Burnaby home.
Gabe was born with a lump on his head, and no one knew what it was.
There were tests and brain scans. They found the infant had a large tumour the size of a tennis ball close to the centre of his brain. Just 20 hours out of the womb, Gabe was undergoing his first brain surgery.
“When the neurosurgeon came in, he asked if we wanted the hospital chaplain to join us, because he didn’t think there was any way he would survive,” says Oliver, his voice trembling at the edges.
The surgeon removed parts of the tumour but had to pull back, because Gabe’s brain was bleeding so badly. The new parents were told the tumour was brain cancer and their child had no chance of surviving.
All they could do was pray.
Oliver and Mercy had been sleeping at the hospital for several days, when they were told to come to the intensive care unit immediately. The doctors were going to pull Gabe off the ventilator to see if he could breathe on his own.
And when they did, the newborn was breathing just fine.
“That felt pretty incredible. That was the first time we got to hold him,” Oliver says.
Gabe underwent chemotherapy at just three weeks old, but about two months later the tumour came back. This time, it was very aggressive. At three months old, Gabe was slated for his second surgery, and the week before, Oliver prayed day and night.
But then came the call that changed everything. The surgery had been cancelled; the tumour was disappearing.
“Everyone was just flying,” Oliver recalls. “I think all the praying helped.”
But Gabe still wasn’t out of the woods. The tumour was shrinking, but it was still there. The doctors tried high doses of chemo instead, and Gabe had to later undergo surgery again and then had a stem cell transplant.
Finally Mercy and Oliver could take him home, after Gabe spent the first six months of his life in hospital.
Close to his first birthday, Gabe went back for another brain scan, and there were no signs of a tumour.
“His first birthday was a really good day, because no one thought he would survive,” says Oliver.
It’s rare for babies to be born with a cancerous brain tumour, even more rare for them to survive, and the aggressive cancer treatments can wreak havoc on a baby’s development. Gabe was left with a cavity in his brain, hearing and vision problems and limited mobility. He developed recurring seizures, which were corrected with yet another brain surgery, but he can’t eat solid foods and has a plug on the left side of his belly so he can be tube-fed.
At eight years old, Gabe is now cancer free and happy as can be. The brown haired boy with Harry Potter glasses uses a rocker to pull himself across the living room carpet to watch cartoons.
He uses hand signals and facial expressions to communicate. He has a special upright walker to move around on his own.
As parents, Oliver and Mercy never expected any of this, but they have adapted.
“We know couples who have split because their child got sick. It does put a lot of stress on the family,” Oliver says.
“In some ways, it made us strong and understand life better,” Mercy adds.
Last year, the parents were referred to Variety - the Children’s Charity by a social worker. The non-profit group helped the family buy a larger vehicle, one that was wheelchair accessible and easier to transport Gabe.
The Burnaby family will be featured on Variety’s upcoming telethon, airing on Jan. 25 and 26 on Global TV. Oliver, Mercy and Gabe should be on sometime between 3 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26.
Last year’s telethon raised more than $7 million, and in 2013, Variety provided grants to 1,277 families and 32 organizations to help children with special needs. The money goes towards things like hospital equipment in neonatal intensive care units, life-saving medication, physical therapy, mobility or communication devices and special schools.
Both Mercy and Oliver are thankful for Variety’s help.
“Variety is a group where if you need help, especially if you have a special-needs kid, they give so many chances. It feels like the child that was stuck in place has an opportunity to explore more,” Mercy says, seated on the couch, feet tucked under, as Gabe amuses himself watching cartoons.
“It’s important because you never know when someone you know needs help. You never know if it’s going to be your child, or your grandchild, or your niece,” Oliver says. “It definitely changes lives.”
As for the future, Mercy just laughs.
“We cannot really tell the future. We are really going one day at a time,” she says.
