Orange County mom shares son's medical journey ahead of Mother’s Day
Megan Brooks knew her then four-month-old son, Jack, was sick – even though she says his doctors locally told her he was OK.
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An Orange County mother is sharing a beautiful Mother’s Day story about how her love helped save her son’s life.
Megan Brooks knew her then four-month-old son, Jack, was sick – even though she says his doctors locally told her he was OK.
“Something was wrong. Something wasn’t right," said Brooks.
Brooks is a former pediatric nurse and was a school nurse at Minisink Valley High School.
She says she decided to take her son to the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx where, thanks to her advocacy for little Jack, they found he was very sick.
“The MRI’s showed pressure on his brain or hydrocephalus, as well as a very large spinal tumor throughout 75% of his back," said Dr. Andrew Kobets, a pediatric neurosurgeon at Montefiore. "Once we identified that, we had to act urgently.”
Jack underwent three surgeries and spent nearly a month in the hospital.
Two years later, the toddler is much better with routine care to monitor his condition.
"Being able to treat a patient like Jack and have a family like the Brooks, makes it all worth it. They're just phenomenal people," said Dr. Kobets. "It really allows us to get a sense of why we're doing this work - to be able to help people."
Jack takes oral chemotherapy treatments and goes to weekly physical therapy.
Brooks says he's now happy, energetic and has no idea he was once very sick.
"A huge thank you to everyone. I remember every single doctor that ever entered that room," said Brooks. "I remember every nurse. I remember everybody’s face because they had such a huge impact on our life.”
