Local boy faces second brain surgery
Ethan Lavictoire steels himself after first effort to remove lesion failed
Todd Lavictoire says he remembers his heart sinking and his knees getting weak after a surgeon pulled him aside to tell him his son’s operation had failed.
The July surgery was intended to remove a lesion growing on the language centre of 12-year-old Ethan’s brain. When the Ottawa boy was told surgeons had missed the lesion, he asked if this was really happening, then took a long pause to collect his thoughts.
“I forgive the doctor; I forgive him,” Ethan said, according to his father.
In the days that followed, Ethan spent some time in the small, dimly-lit intensive care unit at the Hospital for Sick Kids’ neurology and trauma wing, being monitored while he recovered.
This week, the Ottawa boy is preparing to undergo a second surgery in Toronto. This time, surgeons plan to go deeper into the brain, since the swelling has gone down, to remove the lesion completely, ending a “roller-coaster summer” for the family.
Ethan has experienced debilitat- ing headaches for years that leave him feeling nauseous and weak. At three years of age, he had strabismus, which caused his right eye to turn in, resulting in double vision and regular headaches. At the age of eight, he had surgery to realign both eyes, and while his eyesight improved, the migraines lingered.
The setback in July meant that Todd Lavictoire’s wife, Amanda, would likely not be working in the fall and Ethan, who’s been eager to return to a normal routine and see his friends again, will not be back in school until October.
“We’re so deflated,” said Lavictoire, burying his head in his hands.
The family has raised about $70,000, roughly half of which has come from the more than 500 donations through the online, crowdfunding site YouCaring, as well as several substantial donations from other fundraisers.
The money has been used to help cover the cost of trips to Toronto for appointments, part of the parents’ salaries due to missing work to take care of their son, plus renovations to their home, which include a hydrotherapy spa, an area for meditation and massage therapy. The roughly $25,000 spent on the backyard, which has gone over budget, has drawn some criticism online — comments of which the family is aware.
Lavictoire and his wife, both of whom are yoga instructors, said building a space dedicated to Ethan’s recovery following the surgery is essential.
Whenever Ethan feels his head pounding, his main method of coping has been to jump into the shower and use the hot water to soothe his upper back, neck and head. With the new space, Lavictoire said that Ethan will have a private space to go without worrying about anyone else.
Ethan’s father said he has been humbled by the donations. Without them, he said, he would have to be hunting for work in Toronto while also shuttling the family back and forth from Ottawa for appointments.
“It has been the difference between worrying about how we’re going to afford it all, to worrying about Ethan, we’ve been able to be present every moment of his journey,” Lavictoire said.
“I think having to go through two brain surgeries in three months has had an effect on us as a family; I think we’re all fairly exhausted.”
He said it took months to get Ethan strong enough to undergo the first surgery, and now the family feels as though they are back to where they started.
Heading into the second surgery, “Ethan’s trepidation now is that he understands how much pain is involved in the recovery, and I guess the fear of disappointment again is overwhelming,” Lavictoire said.
“Physically he’s recovered, but emotionally he’s frightened.”