Meet Trevor: throughout his cancer journey, he spread joy

Despite experiencing the impossible, Trevor and his family gave back to the people who helped him throughout his journey at Children’s Health℠

11-year-old Trevor dreams big. When he grows up, he wants to be an astronaut, helicopter pilot or, perhaps, a scientist.  

“I love space,” he said. “It sounds like a fun thing to explore.” 

Trevor enjoys tinkering with crafts, understanding how things work and playing video games with friends. He’s also the kind of kid who likes to brighten up people’s days, whether that’s with a smile or a joke.  

“How do you make a tissue dance?” Trevor asks with a twinkle in his eye. “You put a little boogie in it.” 

When Trevor and his family suddenly experienced the unimaginable, his unwavering positivity and cheerfulness illuminated some of their toughest days. 

Shortly after his older brothers got over a stomach bug in 2022, Trevor began throwing up. His parents assumed the same virus had made its way to their entire family. 

Concerned after their youngest hadn’t recovered like his siblings, they took him to an area hospital a few days later. Physicians sent the family back home with nausea medication, but Trevor’s symptoms didn't go away. 

At a different hospital, Trevor’s parents shared their son’s growing list of symptoms with physicians. A CT scan revealed something his family hadn’t even thought of — Trevor had a tumor in his brain. 

“We didn’t know what we were up against or what was going on in Trevor’s head,” said his mom, Larie. 

Physicians rushed Trevor and his family to Children's Health – about two hours from their home in Kilgore.   

There, physicians in the Pauline Allen Gill Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders also diagnosed him with neurofibromatosis, or NF — a lifelong genetic condition in which tumors grow on the nerve tissue. The Neurofibromatosis Program at the Gill Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders is the largest pediatric NF program in North Texas and the only regional program affiliated with the Children’s Tumor Foundation. 

“Going to Children’s Health wasn’t initially a choice, but once we were there, we realized there wasn’t anywhere else we’d rather be,” Larie said.  

Spreading joy at Children’s Health 

For roughly two years, Trevor went to Children's Health each week for rounds of chemotherapy.  

Because the tumor was in his brain, removal wasn’t an option, and they were uncertain whether chemotherapy would work. And with Trevor’s future in limbo, his family was anxious. 

But Trevor stayed a beacon of courage and positivity through his cancer journey. Although he was facing one of the toughest challenges of his life, he wanted to find a way to spread joy during his hospital visits, which his family called “Treatment Tuesdays.”  

“We talked about how we wanted to be a blessing to everyone that we came in contact with because this happened in Trevor’s life for a reason,” Larie said.

Trevor came up with the idea of bringing small treats to share with Children’s Health team members — such as pre-packaged trail mix or popcorn — paired with a fun pun or joke. The goodies gave Trevor something else to think about throughout his treatment and brought a smile to those who ran into him. 

“It made their days better and cheered them up,” Trevor said. “And it cheers me up because I like to bring joy to people.” 

While at the hospital, Trevor also enjoyed meeting and hanging out with its therapy dogs, who would jump up on his bed and provide some welcome distractions.  

The Children’s Health Pet Therapy Program is part of a number of services that provide wraparound care for patients and their families free of charge. The program, which helps deliver the comforts of home throughout the hospital, relies on philanthropic support from community members. 

A team behind every family 

From the moment they were unexpectedly rushed to Children’s Health, Trevor’s family has “felt every bit of compassion and care from the hospital’s team members” throughout their journey, Larie said. 

Many at the hospital, from physicians to security guards, knew Trevor’s name and would greet the family warmly. Team members who caught wind of his love of jokes came prepared with their own puns and riddles to trade with the young patient.  

“They’re sweet, nice, kind, thoughtful,” Trevor said. “They’re just overall super sweet.” 

The people’s warmth made some of the most difficult days a little more bearable, and Children’s Health soon became like a second home to the family.  

“We had a team behind us,” Larie said. “You can feel isolated when you’re going through these types of things with your kiddo, but I have always felt so supported. They truly feel like family. They had my back.” 

Despite Trevor being everyone’s priority, his care team members made sure to check in on how the rest of the family was doing throughout their journey. 

“That goes a long way,” Larie said. 

Children’s Health Child Life specialists, who offer their wide-ranging services to the whole patient family, connected Trevor’s parents with support groups, which allowed them to meet and talk to other families whose children were going through similar struggles. Child Life programs, which are available to families at no cost, depend on donors’ philanthropic support. 

Ringing the bell 

After about two years, Trevor, now 11 years old, rang the bell in September 2024 at Children's Health to celebrate the end of his chemotherapy treatment.  

His big day started at school, where local firefighters and police, called in by his school district, gathered for a big send-off as his parents picked him up to go to the hospital.  

“He’s like a celebrity,” Larie said. “They made it a really big deal.” 

At Children’s Health, his care team members threw him a party, where he gave a speech to thank them.  

“I felt really happy and glad,” Trevor said. “Of course, I felt sad that I would no longer see all my hospital friends every Tuesday.” 

Today, Trevor feels strong and like he’s getting a lot of his energy back. He now visits Children’s Health every two weeks for check-ups. 

Although he’s celebrated a big milestone, Trevor will continue to get MRI scans at least annually for the rest of his life and keep up with an oncologist to monitor his neurofibromatosis diagnosis, which puts him at risk of developing other tumors. 

“He knew he sometimes had to go to the hospital to do unpleasant things, but he still went in with a good attitude and did his best to be brave,” Larie said. “That’s Trevor, he’s very courageous.” 

Meet more Children's Health patients

Read more patient stories like Trevor's and meet our Patient Ambassadors to learn how Children's Health makes life better for children.

How you can help

In order to meet the growing demand of North Texas’ pediatric population, which is expected to double in size in the next 25 years, Children’s Health has started construction on its new Dallas pediatric campus, a joint investment with UT Southwestern Medical Center. 

Thanks to the support of generous donors, the new Dallas campus will help make the impossible possible for the next generation of kids by providing leading-edge care and emerging treatments for more children like Trevor. 

Help kids like Trevor by exploring our ways to give or by giving today!