Officer Tomsick is a 9-year officer with the Buena Park Police Department. He and his wife Jessica welcomed their first child in December of 2019. During the recent pandemic, they learned Kole was very ill.
Our son, Kole entered this world in December of 2019. Over the next few months, he started to grow and become the happy baby he is today. Unfortunately, he was not hitting the appropriate gross motor milestones, and with the impact of COVID-19, it was really hard for us to get an in-person examination by a physician. It was not until July 15th, after switching pediatricians, that we were finally able to get him assessed and an appointment with a neurologist. Unfortunately, the appointment would not be for another three weeks, and his condition was deteriorating daily.
Thanks to a cancelation, on July 17, 2020, Kole was able to be assessed by the neurologist who determined that his head circumference growth was abnormal for a 7-month-old, and they quickly referred him to the Emergency room for a CT Scan, which showed that he had obstructive hydrocephalus along with a mass. He was then quickly transferred to Kaiser Los Angeles where they specialize in Pediatric Neurosurgery. The next day (July 18, 2020), Kole underwent six-hour brain surgery to remove the mass, although a small portion of the tumor mass was not able to be fully removed, the physicians thought the subsequent chemotherapy would be able to dissolve it. A week later (July 25, 2020) the pathology results diagnosed him with a rare form of childhood brain cancer called ETMR.
The prognosis for this particular type of cancer is not very promising, so his treatment options would need to be very aggressive. First, it would be most advantageous for the mass to be completely removed, after which he would receive two rounds of chemotherapy, followed by three rounds of high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell rescue. While we quickly, began his treatment, there were some complications. Before we were able to begin his first round of chemotherapy, Kole needed another brain surgery to insert a ventriculoperitoneal shunt to allow his cerebral spinal fluid to circulate correctly. After two subsequent rounds of chemotherapy, an MRI showed that the remaining tumor had grown back. This then resulted in Kole undergoing two more brain surgeries, that finally allowed for the complete removal of the tumor. This then allowed him to move forward with the high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell rescue, both part of his treatment. As of January 22, 2021, he is now about to enter into his last round.
While everything that our son has endured is daunting on its own, his road to full recovery will most definitely belong and with its own challenges. As his condition was not diagnosed until he was 7 months of age, he was already falling behind the developmental milestones. All of the surgeries and aggressive treatments have also made it difficult to make and access the necessary appointments with physical, occupational, and speech therapists. Additionally, there is still more to his treatment in the upcoming year; radiation cycles lasting a six-week period, maintenance chemotherapy, and a whole arsenal of physical, occupational, and speech therapy.
As a department, we would appreciate any and all assistance in helping us reach the goal. The proceeds will be used for the many currents and ongoing medical expenses not covered by insurance. Please read below which was written by Martin’s wife Jessica.
