17-month-old Sloane has a rare type of cancer that is affecting his balance, yet he has the biggest smile – especially when mom turns up the music.
Primitive neuroectodermal tumours of the central nervous system (PNET CNS) are the rare tumours that 17-month-old Sloane Lindique-Brown is battling with.
“He was diagnosed at 10 months when his dad and I started noticing small changes in Sloanie’s behaviour,” Chantelle Lindique, the little cancer fighter’s mother said.
“He started losing functionality in his left arm and the entire left side of his face started drooping. We immediately took him to the doctor.”
In January, Sloane had 90 per cent of the tumour removed from the left side of his brain at the Donald Gordon Medical Centre in Parktown. He started chemotherapy three weeks after the surgery.
Unfortunately, a recent MRI scan showed that another tumour has grown from the remains of the previous one.
But Sloane, running around the living room – with his parents’ nerves on edge – and dancing to music with a big smile on his face, seems to be the happiest 17-month-old without a sign of discomfort.
“He always has a smile on his face,” dad Andrew Brown said.
“We try and control what we can, but we need to let him be free as well.”
Chantelle and Andrew had to make more time to be at home, since Sloane cannot leave the house without risking falling ill.
“His immune system is not very strong because he has a very low blood cell count from the chemotherapy, making him extremely vulnerable to illnesses.”
Currently Sloane undergoes chemotherapy and physiotherapy sessions. He plays with weight balls to stimulate his hands and a balancing disc to encourage his balancing abilities.
Next to the big smile on his face, Sloane has a few bruises on his cheeks and forehead.
“It’s from falling down a lot,” his mother said.
“The new tumour is growing on an artery that plays a significant role in Sloane’s balance. He is falling and hurting himself constantly and battles to recover because of his low blood cell count.”
Yet, if Sloane’s parents want him to recover faster, they will have to abandon the chemotherapy, which means he will become more vulnerable to pain and the effects that PNET can have.”
“But we still have hope. We will never lose hope.”
Sloane’s story is shared through the Sloane Foundation’s website and regular golf days. A team will ride in his honour at the annual Momentum 947 Cycle Challenge. His two elder siblings and the rest of the family are his biggest supporters and help to take care of him.
To view more photos of baby Sloane, click here.
