BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The path to growing up is all about having fun.
"He goes to school. Plays video games. Reads. Writes. He likes theater, so he's in the play at school," Brianne Christiano said.
For 13-year-old Trevor Christiano, that path has also come with some challenges.
"I still don't like needles and getting blood drawn every month is annoying and MRIs but I'm getting more and more used to it the more that it happens," Trevor explained.
Trevor was diagnosed with a brain tumor in January of 2020. He was just 10 years old.
"I was scared but I didn't have enough time to process everything," he said.
At the time, there were no major symptoms or signs that anything was wrong, but a call from Trevor's doctor shocked his family. An MRI showed a mass in his brain sitting on his optic nerve.
"You are devastated but you're also like helpless and confused like who do you call? Like who do you call to fix that? You know you hear your son has a brain tumor, where do you go," Brianne, Trevor's mother, said.
The Christiano family did not have to wait long for Oishei Children's Hospital to get in touch. Soon, Trevor underwent brain surgery and with many surgeries there are risks involved, but Trevor came out of it a champion.
"They're very real when they're going in and tinkering around in the brain but he came out the same Trevor he always was," Brianne said.
Weeks later, there was a setback. Trevor's vision started going black. He was then rushed in for an emergency brain surgery.
"His face completely swelled up. He couldn't open his eyes. So we didn't know, you know, didn't know if they saved his vision," Brianne explained.
Coming out of surgery, it became a road to recovery for Trevor, with some bumps along the way. Although chemotherapy helped shrink the tumor in his brain, it is still active today.
"It's a process. He's gonna have it for the rest of his life, so we always talked about how we have to treat it like a chronic illness," Brianne added.
When the 13-year-old is not in the classroom at school, he's sharing his story and meeting new people through events with Oishei Children's Hospital. Most recently, he met with one of his favorite Buffalo Bills players.
"We were just over to the side and he was talking with people and I was like 'Oh my God! He's right there,'" Trevor explained talking about Josh Allen.
Trevor was there when Allen presented a $2 million check to the hospital which, for him, was a dream come true.
SEE ALSO: Josh Allen announces $2 million donation from West Herr to Patricia Allen fund
"It was crazy, and I blacked out I think," Trevor said excitedly.
A portion of the money, donated by West Herr, has already gone to great use with a purchase of a specialized microscope giving neurosurgeons a resource that can better help kids like Trevor. Now, hope is on the horizon for Trevor and his family.
"Who knows what's gonna happen in 10 years with the advances in research and medicine and technology, who knows what will be available to him," Brianne said.
