Gabriel and his twin brother were born in the midst of the first Covid lockdown. Two years later, the life of the young family irrevocably changed with Gabriel’s cancer diagnosis. They had no idea what was lying ahead.
It all started when Gabriel suddenly started limping in April 2022. His parents were not overly concerned as he had fallen over that same day. But his symptoms only got worse, and eventually he was only able to sleep on his knees due to pain.
One analysis after another was done, but doctors were unable to find any irregularities until Gabriel ended up partially paralysed having undergone anaesthesia in the context of an MRI. “He no longer felt his legs. He was no longer able to walk”, recalls Sara Lopes, Gabriel’s mother.
A doctor from the paediatric oncology department of the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL) then informed the parents about the diagnosis. A large tumour was identified near the fourth ventricle in the brain.
“The problem was that there were already many metastases. The entire spinal cord was affected and there were many in the head”, explained Gabriel’s mother. Her son underwent surgery that same evening due to the pressure that had built from the brain tumour.
After an eventful day, the family needed patience. The biopsy results came after a week: Gabriel had a metastatic medulloblastoma, an aggressive tumour that mainly affects small children.
Gabriel underwent two periods of chemotherapy at the CHL during which doctors managed to shrink the tumours. However, the therapy offered in Luxembourg was insufficient for Gabriel and it soon became clear that he had to be transferred abroad. Paris was chosen as the place for additional treatment.
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Gabriel’s main tumour was removed in a nearly eight-hour-long surgery. By that point, the boy had lost a significant amount of weight, only weighing about 10kg. “The doctor told me afterwards that had he seen Gabriel naked beforehand, he would have chosen not to operate him”, said his mother. The surgery was extremely tough on his weakened body.
Over the course of the following months, Gabriel stayed in Paris to undergo proton therapy and two rounds of intensive chemotherapy. “It was all a shock for him because he did not understand the people who entered the room, they stung him with needles... he no longer understood anything”, recalls Sara.
She continued: “There were only children with cancer on one floor of the hospital where we were. You knew exactly that every single child had there had cancer. ... The first day when Gabriel entered and still had hair on his head, everyone looked at him.” Sara still remembers how her son had his head shaven ahead of the intensive chemo as everything had to be sterile. “When he no longer had hair, I realised that my child is sick. I only really understood it at that moment.”
Radiation was tough for the two-year-old. He underwent more than 30 sessions in the span of just six weeks and had to be put to sleep every single time. Still, intensive chemo was even worse as he had to spend 30 hours in an isolation room.
Gabriel’s immune system was so weak during the treatment that he was not allowed to come in contact with anything. His twin brother Diego was only able to see his brother through a window.
In the end, doctors made an exception and allowed one parent to sleep inside the same room, though they had to wear full-body protection and stay at a distance. “I would have switched places in a heartbeat”, Lopes said.
Gabriel’s health began deteriorating once more around Christmas 2022 and he had to go through a series of urgent operations. But, after another round of proton therapy in February, the now three-year-old has been stable.
Gabriel processed the treatments relatively well and they have had a positive effect. The main tumour has completely disappeared. “His back still has some spots. We now have to wait and see,” explained Sara, as Gabriel still has six months of oral chemotherapy ahead of him before it is hoped he can finally reach remission.
Gabriel will be able to undergo this treatment at home, but also has to complete a lot of physical therapy at the same time. Among other things, he has to relearn how to walk properly. But, he is making significant progress according to his mother: “He was not able to get up at all during the first nights, and now he can go anywhere thanks to his ‘crocodile’ as he calls the walking aid.”
The experiences of the last years have changed the family’s perspective on life. “We planned a lot in the beginning. That is something we stopped doing now. We go when we feel like it”, noted Sara. “We live everyday as if it were the last. We make use of every moment with him. Yes, we always hope that now everything is overcome, but there remains a thought in the back of our minds.”
Parents Sara and Lionel are certain that they would not have prevailed this long without support from family, work, and the Childhood Cancer Foundation. The latter took care of all administrative procedures, provided housing to the family in Paris, and offered psychological support.
Relatives further made sure that Gabriel’s siblings Diego and Lara were looked after during this difficult period. “We really saw who was there and who wasn’t. That opened our eyes.” The family now hopes that Gabriel can finally enjoy a well-deserved holiday after the final round of chemotherapy.
“We are doing this now for a little longer and then we all go on holiday. We all need it”, concluded mother Sara.
