SALT LAKE CITY — Tristan Woodman's young life has been anything but ordinary.
Diagnosed in April with a rare form of cancer, the 6-month-old has had to fight for survival in a way that most adults could hardly fathom.
"He started getting really sick when he was 3 months old, started vomiting a lot," said Tristan's mother, Kimberly Woodman. "It took us until he was about 4-and-a-half months to get the diagnosis."
After running a CT scan during one of numerous emergency room visits, doctors realized Tristan had two tumor masses on his brain. Woodman said test results revealed her son had a type of cancer that affects the central nervous system called Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumors, or AT/RT.
"It's a really rare form of cancer," she said doctors told her. "There are only about 30 cases a year across the U.S.
"And it's got a pretty poor prognosis," she added, with a noticeable hesitation.
The cancer is not only rare, but it is also relatively "new," meaning it has only been identified in the last five to seven years, according to Dr. Soumen Khatua, an oncologist at Primary Children's Medical Center who is treating Tristan.
"This tumor has unique features both clinically and at the molecular level," he said.
Most often, patients afflicted with AT/RT have tumors near the back of the brain and sometimes near the spinal cord, making the cancer difficult to treat, he said.
"This tumor is usually in the younger age group — under 5 years," Khatua said. "And it's a very aggressive tumor that tends to spread fast."
Khatua said chances of survival depend on how completely the masses can be removed from the affected areas, which can be especially tricky given that they are typically in delicate areas such as the brain and spine.
"What is most important is if the tumor cannot be removed in its totality (or) if the tumor has spread beyond the brain into the spine," he said.
He noted that the short-term survival rate can reach as high as 60 percent for up to three years following successful treatment, but that depends heavily on how much of the tumor is removed and how well the patient responds to treatment, which could include chemotherapy, radiation and drugs.
In Tristan's case, his extreme youth is a concern for medical staff and his parents, but his father said Tristan has responded reasonably well to all of the medications and treatments.
"It's been tough," Cody Woodman said. "When he first had his diagnosis, … I gave him a blessing with my friend, and I felt really good then."
Since that time several weeks ago, the Woodmans said they have been through a myriad of emotions, but they are still trying to keep the most positive outlook they can while spending every possible moment with their infant son.
The West Jordan couple also has a daughter who will be 3 years old in July. Kimberly Woodman, 27, is a stay-at-home mom. Cody Woodman, who is a year older, is awaiting military orders from his Draper-based Marine unit for his first official commission after recently completing Officers Candidate School, "which is supposed to happen at the end of July," she said.
While they wait, they are trying to figure out ways to pay Tristan's mounting medical expenses, which already have run well into six figures, Kimberly Woodman said. Family and friends are helping to arrange yard sales and other fundraisers to pay some of the expenses.
Those who may want to help the family should visit the Praying for Baby Tristan group page on Facebook.
For now, both mother and father are trying to concentrate all of their collective emotional energy into seeing their son through this exceedingly challenging time.
"This is an extremely overwhelming thing," Kimberly Woodman said. "It's absolutely scary.
"The biggest thing is you just have to have a lot of hope."
How to help
For more information about Tristan and his family or to learn how to make a donation, visit the Praying for Baby Tristan group page on Facebook.
e-mail: jlee@desnews.com