Vaughn was such an exceptional and inspiring child. He faced nothing but an up hill battle from the moment he was born. Here is a quick list of a few of his battles:
- Diagnosed with a kidney problem prior to birth.
- At birth he was diagnosed with lung disease & kidney disease.
- He suffered a collapsed lung at only a few days old.
- Within a month he was found to have an undiagnosed overgrowth syndrome.
- He spent his first three months in the NICU at Northwestern and Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
- He went home on Oxygen and a feeding tube.
- Vaughn received Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Speech Therapy multiple times per week
- At 10 months he was diagnosed with Kidney Cancer and had a nephrectomy followed by 3 months of chemo at Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA.
- Autism (PDD-NOS – Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified)
- Lung Disease – He had Cysts that covered 90% of his lungs. We moved to Philadelphia so that he could be close to his doctor at CHOP.
- At 3 years 10 months he was diagnosed with Kidney cancer. – 3 tumors.
- Partial Nephrectomy.
- He did 8 months of Chemo and after they found two more tumors in the Kidney and one in the Lung.
- Had kidney failure.
- 7 more weeks of Chemo.
- On Saturday April 19th, 2014 Vaughn was diagnosed with Brain Cancer.
- On Easter Sunday, April 20th 2014 Vaughn Passed Away.
Through all of this, Vaughn was never able to walk on his own and he never learned to speak. He never complained and he never gave up. He did it all with a smile on his face and a hug and kiss for his Mom and Dad. He made friends wherever he went, because everyone could see how determined he was to keep trying to walk. His spirit, smile, and laugh lit up the room for all around him. He touched so many people when he was here, and we plan on doing our best to carry on his legacy, by helping kids and families that are similarly situated.
