Painting a picture of real life
STILL SMILING — Conner Weckwerth of Blooming Prairie, son of Milo Weckwerth of New Richland, has been responding well since undergoing recent surgery to remove a brain tumor. (Submitted photo)
By MARK DOMEIER
Contributing Writer
Let’s paint a picture.
Start with some bright, vibrant colors. These are the colors of a young man who enjoys the outdoors, so maybe some verdant greens and sunshine yellows. Throw in the reds and oranges of fires in the summer, toasting s’mores.
These are good colors for the beginning of a painting of Connor Weckwerth of Blooming Prairie. He lives with his mom, April, and is the son of Milo Weckwerth of New Richland. Connor just finished kindergarten in Blooming Prairie last spring, but then found some new colors added to his painting this summer, some colors that were unexpected and had a darker hue.
On June 21, Connor was quite dizzy and not stable on his feet. This was followed by severe vomiting the next day. He was taken to the ER in Austin on June 23, where the doctors were concerned about rehydrating him and the possibility of appendicitis. Connor had some ups and downs medically over the next few days before finally going to St. Mary’s in Rochester on June 27.
There, the focus moved from his stomach to his brain, and a CAT scan was performed, which showed a brain tumor. Steps were taken to relieve the pressure on his brain and drain fluid, while trying to shrink the tumor with steroids. On June 29, Connor had surgery to remove the tumor, which was successful. The tumor was then diagnosed as a medulloblastoma, a tumor which grows from the neurons of the cerebellum. The cerebellum controls movement, balance, and posture.
Medulloblastoma is rare, accounting for less than 2% of all brain tumors. Doctors are making progress in finding the cause, but it is still largely unknown. Seventy to 80% of all children who develop a medulloblastoma can, with proper care and treatment, expect to be cancer-free in five years.
Connor responded well to surgery and the rehabilitation that followed. He had some swelling and other minor problems, but did so well in his rehab work that he was able to go home on July 4. After that, a spinal tap and other blood work showed no spread of the cancer anywhere else in Connor’s body.
Beginning July 29, Connor started radiation daily for six weeks, along with one day of chemo during that time. After that, he will have a month of rest before determining a future schedule. Even after all the treatment is done and he is cancer-free, Connor will need to go in for periodic checks until he is at least 20.
Connor has been surrounded during this ordeal by a large family. He has his brother Garrett, along with many aunts, uncles, and cousins, most of whom live in the area. Connor also has three great-grandparents and two grandparents supporting him through his trials. In addition, many people in the New Richland and Blooming Prairie areas have stepped up to help Connor and his family to offset the enormous medical bills that accumulate in these circumstances. There is a fund set up at the State Bank of New Richland, PO Box 68, New Richland, MN 56072; there is a GoFundMe account set up on the Internet; and there is also a fund set up at the Farmers and Merchants Bank, PO Box 277, Blooming Prairie, MN 55917. Milo made special note of the Blooming Prairie Cancer Foundation and their help with lodging in Rochester, as well as the many people who have sent the family gas cards to help with the frequent trips back and forth.
Connor has a wide variety of interests. He is a fourth-generation painter and has helped his dad with various painting projects already in his lifetime. He loves his dog and cats and has also taken an interest in the Avengers, the Marvel super heroes who have set records at the box office in recent years. Connor really enjoys NTPA truck pulling with his Grandpa Mike and Uncle David with the Nasty Boys and Nasty Habit truck-pulling team. He attended a pull on July 22 and really enjoyed being back watching the truck pulls. In the future, Connor plans on a career in construction, police work, or the Army.
April noted that the family’s faith in God has helped guide them through this difficult time. They know that the prayers said on their behalf have helped, and Connor’s strong faith showed in that he wanted to carry his mom’s rosary with him into his surgeries, but could not because it was metal. He was given a plastic rosary instead and would not let go of it, saying that it kept the angels with him.
Miraculously, Connor’s parents have noted an improvement in their son’s speech since the surgeries. Connor has had a speech problem since he started talking, but that is changing for the better! In addition, he has become more talkative, inquisitive, and interested in new things.
Connor’s fight is not over, but neither is the painting of his life. He and his family, along with the great support our communities continue to show to those in need, will continue to paint in big, broad strokes to create a masterpiece.