Our cause...

As friends and family asked what they could send our son, Gavin Tarsio to aid in his recovery and lift his spirits, after 3 recent brain surgeries, I couldn’t think of one thing other than love, prayers & positive spirit. To respect the requests, I asked Gavin and he said, “Nothing…maybe donations.” Since Gavin's diagnosis in 2020 he has been so keen on donating wherever possible and just like charity does it has provided him a sense of empowerment during a time where there is so little control by him. We ask you to join us in honoring Gavin’s warrior spirit by raising as much as we can to support other families who are also fighting this horrible disease; paying forward the similar charity that we benefited from. No amount is too small and simply passing the message along to others would be appreciated by us. The funds go directly to the Le Bonheur Team via this giving page.

This fund raiser will help other warriors fighting pediatric brain cancer, to benefit from the care of Dr. Paul Klimo, Dr. Nir Shimony, Dr. Sarah Weatherspoon, Dr. Randaline Barnett and all the amazing staff members at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. These are the incredible physicians and staff who manage all pediatric brain tumor surgeries in the joint Pediatric Brain Tumor program between Le Bonheur and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

In addition to providing families with the expertise of the amazing staff, families will also benefit from the charity that we did. During Gavin’s recent treatment, we stayed at FedExFamilyHouse for 23 days, without charge. FedExFamilyHouse provides a comfortable place to stay for families whose kids are undergoing treatment at Le Bonheur. We also had access to food donations as well as free security rides to and from the hospital.

I wholeheartedly know that this team will make sure that the funds we raise are used in the right way, at the right time.

Gavin's Journey...

Gavin was diagnosed with a brain tumor in April 2020. He has undergone so much since his diagnosis – a biopsy, 3 craniotomies, a stereo EEG surgery, MRIs every three months, countless doctor appointments, three different chemotherapies causing a multitude of symptoms including nausea, vomiting, fatigue, hair thinning, cystic acne and deep stretch mark like striations across his backside. Not to mention the endless fatigue and many missed fun times. As of August of this year, none of the treatments to control his tumor were working. His tumor was continuing to grow and symptoms including seizures and memory loss were increasing.

We sought the expertise and opinion of three top institutions in the Northeast. Each one said that the most they could do was a surgery to try and eliminate his seizures. None would attempt to remove his tumor saying that it was too risky. We were desperate. Without removing the tumor, we knew Gavin would continue to lose function over time – from his memory to vision to mobility. We have been connected with families who have shared countless, heartbreaking stories.

With the help of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Association, we connected with Dr. Paul Klimo – the chief pediatric neurosurgeon at Le Bonheur. He called after just a few days of receiving Gavin’s scans, and for the first time in a long time we felt seen, heard and cared for by a doctor. Dr. Klimo understood how our situation felt “between a rock and a hard place,” and he said that we needed to remove as much of the tumor as safely possible. We were overwhelmed with hope. Someone was on our side, being necessarily bold in the treatment of our son Gavin.

From that day on, Dr. Klimo became our hero. During our stay we were able to benefit from a whole team of heroes at Le Bonheur. As Gavin underwent state of the art testing, always managed by a thoughtful and caring staff member, the experience was so surreal that it didn’t seem possible. After so many closed doors, all with the same answer of 'no' we couldn't believe that finally we were making progress.

Everyday, as stressful as it was to see our warrior in pain, confused, uncomfortable it still felt like a “blessed bubble.” Gavin was without a doubt in the best hands possible with people who genuinely cared about him. Many families have had similar experiences with Dr. Klimo – his willingness and ability to do what others said was impossible accompanied by a kind-hearted human who sends personal texts!

At Le Bonheur, Gavin underwent three surgeries, and neurosurgeons were able to remove 95% of his tumor. A result that we have called a miracle as we did not think it would ever happen. As these tumors are known to grow we do not know what the future will bring but we are thankful and blessed by this milestone. Our guy has been provided an opportunity for a more fair fight, with the best people continuing to support him. Gavin is still very much recovering from his surgeries, with a long road ahead anticipated but we see this as a MIRACLE.

We would like to help others have access to the best possible care available. These warrior children and their families deserve nothing less. Thank you!