Gray for Grey TEES 2026

2026 marks the 11th year of Greyson’s battle with brain cancer. Over the years, he has endured the ups and downs that come with living with a chronic, pediatric, brain tumor—surgeries, treatments, setbacks, milestones, and, more recently, new hope through advances in research. What began with one unexpected diagnosis in 2016 has become a decade-long journey that continues to shape his and our lives every day.



In the spring of 2016, our lives were forever changed by one devastating diagnosis. Greyson, then 7, was diagnosed with a very rare, Grade 2 brain tumor. He underwent a successful 9-hour surgery that removed most of the cue-ball-sized tumor, but a portion had to be left because removing it risked permanent damage to his motor function. This type of tumor tends to grow in unpredictable “fits and spurts” unless every last cell is removed or destroyed—meaning this will likely be a lifelong battle for Greyson.



Indeed, a routine MRI in 2018 revealed that Greyson’s tumor was growing again. A second surgery left us hopeful after the surgeon initially believed he had removed the entire tumor—effectively curing Greyson—but devastatingly, most of it remained. Greyson also woke from this surgery with stroke-like weakness on the left side of his body, known as hemiplegia. At the time, he could not swallow without choking, walk, stand, or even sit up on his own. He lost the use of his left arm and hand and additional damage to his optic nerve left him legally blind. At that point, our medical team advised that the best option was a 15-month traditional chemotherapy protocol. 



I remember his first treatment—the nurse entering in full PPE, gloves, and a face shield just to handle the bags of IV drugs we were about to voluntarily flood our son's body with. The hard truth is that the “medicine” we rely on to save our children is often poisonous to the body as a whole, administered because there simply aren’t better options yet. We watched Greyson lose his hair, battle constant nausea, and endure exhaustion that stole nearly a year and a half of his childhood. I remember Belle, only 7 at the time, helping her brother once while he vomited, because I couldn’t get to him quickly enough. I remember Greyson begging his doctors and us to let him stop treatment. But how could we? Without it, Greyson would suffer irrevocable damage and eventually, death. It's a horrible position to be in as a parent- making decisions that your child has to live with. The reality of brain tumors is that even when they are low-grade like Greyson’s, they are dangerous simply because they are in the brain taking up vital space- meaning some other critical function is affected. In Greyson’s case, the tumor initially crushed his optic nerve, causing permanent vision loss and is now pressing on his brain stem affecting his motor function. As of this writing, Greyson has been in a wheelchair for 2 months, needing assistance with everyday functions including standing and walking. Other common symptoms of brain tumors are seizures, personality changes, memory loss and death.

In the spring of 2022 Greyson’s tumor was growing again. However, instead of being presented with the “3 Monsters” of surgery, traditional chemotherapy and radiation, we were given the option of a new, “directive therapy”: a chemotherapy pill. After nearly 50 years without significant advancements in treatments options, this seemed like a miracle and proof that dollars like yours were funding research and real options! Greyson remained on this medication for 4 years, tolerating it with far fewer side-effects than he’d had with traditional chemo and life returned to “normal”. Little did we know the perfect storm was brewing.

An MRI on March 4 of this year showed that his tumor was growing again, despite treatment. Unfortunately, tumors are smart and often find ways around medications, and that proved to be the case this time. Even more difficult was learning that, after a review of his scans from the past two years, slow and subtle growth had been missed. On the advice of his medical team, Grey stopped the original medication while a new one was ordered. Under normal circumstances, a short gap in treatment should not have caused a major issue, but the unchecked growth caught up with us at exactly at this moment in time.

Within a week, Grey was hospitalized with seizure-like episodes. For nearly two days, we watched helplessly as his body endured painful, panic-inducing attacks every three to five minutes. His resting heart rate remained around 150 BPM for more than 24 hours and spiked to 190–200 during each episode. Doctors were unsure what was causing them or how to stop them. Multiple EKGs, an EEG, and a rapid MRI all came back “clean.” Eventually, a combination of medications calmed his system enough to stop the episodes and allow him to sleep. We were sent home that Friday with several new medications, including the new chemotherapy drug. While the acute attacks stopped, Grey’s motor function continued to decline as the tumor progressed. By Wednesday, he could no longer stand or walk independently and needed a wheelchair just to move from the bed to the bathroom or around the house. Stairs became nearly impossible. His vision worsened, his eyes began drifting in different directions, the muscle tightness in his left arm increased, his left leg shook uncontrollably, and his speech became slurred. Steroids and nerve medications were added to his regimen. The steroids leave him painfully hungry and unable to sleep, while the nerve medications add to the growing list of drugs that make him chronically exhausted. Together, they often make it difficult for him to even keep his eyes open during a conversation.

Grey has since transitioned to Homebound schooling and is doing his best to keep up with Spanish II and AP U.S. History. Through all of this, the administration and teachers at his school have once again been absolutely wonderful, doing everything they can to support and accommodate his needs.

Repeat and advanced MRIs over the last two months have shown that the tumor continues to grow aggressively. The scans also revealed hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain), bleeding within the tumor, and that the tumor is wrapped around the brain’s white matter tract — the brain’s communication highway.

Greyson recently underwent an urgent surgery to place a shunt to drain the excess fluid and relieve pressure on his brain. The surgery was successful and Grey was sent home the next day. However, 2 days later, upon waking from a nap, Greyson did not know where he was, who Belle or I were and could not find the right words to speak. I called 911 and we were taken to Levine’s Children’s Hospital, where his team is “housed”. X-rays and a CT scan confirmed the shunt is doing its job which leads us to believe the tumor is getting worse.

A biopsy performed on Wednesday May 13th to determine whether the tumor may be progressing to a Grade 3.

In preparation for the next phase of treatment, we have consulted with a radiation oncologist regarding proton radiation therapy and have also reached out to a team at Children’s National in Washington, DC, for a second opinion, in collaboration with our current medical team. Based on the biopsy results, the plan will be to either move directly to proton radiation (the best-case scenario) or, if the tumor has progressed to Grade 3, we will weigh the potential benefits of a surgery to “de-bulk” part of the tumor before beginning radiation.

Grey has had to discontinue the new, chemo med because of the bleed within in the tumor. In the meantime, he has restarted a weekly traditional chemotherapy protocol as a “bridge” therapy in hopes of slowing the tumor’s growth while we await biopsy results and finalize the treatment plan.


If you’re still reading, thank you. Truly. This is the point at which you become part of Greyson’s story.

Every t-shirt purchased, every hat worn, and every donation made helps fund the research that moves us closer to better treatments — and one day, a cure. That has always been our goal.

While pediatric brain tumors remain our focus, Greyson himself has already benefited from a treatment originally developed through skin cancer research. That’s the power of research dollars and the ripple effect of people choosing to care. Hope exists because people invest in it.

So help us spread the word. Grab a shirt, wear it proudly, and tell your friends and family that they’re not just buying the softest t-shirt they’ll ever own — they’re helping a young man continue to fight for the fullest, brightest life possible.

We are endlessly grateful for every prayer, share, purchase, and donation. Thank you for standing with us.

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