Cole

Cole lived a normal life in Shellbrook, SK before receiving a diagnosis that completely shocked him and his family. The teen started to have numbness in his nose and hand spasms in 2021. It didn’t initially raise concern, but just to be cautious, Cole saw a pediatrician who referred him to a neurologist.

In March 2022, Cole and his family made their first trip to Saskatchewan’s Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital (JPCH) for an electroencephalogram (EEG) – a test measuring electrical activity in the brain. At first it seemed like Cole could have epilepsy, but an MRI in the summer of 2022 confirmed he had a brain tumour.

“You ask yourself why. Why him? Why a tumour? Why a tumour in the brain?” Cole’s mom Terri said.

While it was an extremely stressful time, Cole and his family were confident in the expertise and experience of the medical team at Saskatchewan’s JPCH. They felt well-informed every step of the way, and eventually decided to have Cole’s marble-sized tumour removed in December 2022.

When asked how he felt before his surgery Cole said, “I felt comfortable knowing that I had one of the best surgeons here operating on me. That was definitely reassuring, but I was really just scared about it and the end results.”

Fortunately, Cole’s surgery was a success. Four days later, Cole was discharged from Saskatchewan’s JPCH and has been recovering well. Cole is an avid football fan and while his playing career has been put on pause, he says he’s starting to feel like his normal self again and hopes to be back exercising soon.