“How can they send me to the moon, but they can’t cure my daughter.”
— Neil Armstrong after he lost his 2 year old daughter to DIPG in 1962
What is DIPG?
Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma is a tumor located in the brain stem. It is mostly found in children ages 4-11. There is a less than 1% survivor rate and affects 200-400 children a year. The doctors don’t know what causes DIPG.
DIPG is an inoperable and incurable cancerous brain tumor located in the middle of the brain stem (called the Pons). The Pons is what controls your vital functions, such as heartbeat, breathing, swallowing, blood pressure; all the things that help keep us alive without ever thinking about it. It is a fast growing tumor that continues to spread itself around the Pons and will make the child slowly stop walking, talking, eating, drinking, and eventually, breathing. As a parent, you are forced to watch your child suffer and eventually die as the tumor starts to take their functionality away from them. What DIPG doesn’t take from them is their mind. It does not remove their cognitive ability and it is truly heartbreaking as they are fully aware of their decline, often until their last day.
