Meet Quincy Nelson-Sweatt

Quincy Nelson-Sweatt

In November of 2021, Quincy began experiencing some right handed weakness. He was having trouble holding his pencil & gripping a baseball. A Thursday evening visit to our pediatrician turned into a trip to Norton Childrens ER where Friday morning we learned, after scans, that Quincy had a tumor in his spinal cord, from C2-C6. We were admitted for the weekend & surgery was set for Monday to try and remove as much of the tumor as possible and figure out what we were dealing with. DMG (Diffuse Midline Glioma) wasn't even on our radar as a potential diagnosis. We learned after 6 hours of surgery that the tumor was high grade and the neurosurgeon was unable to resect it all. Quincy was left with limited mobility following this surgery. He went from an independent, active 7 year old to being wheelchair bound & a quadriplegic. 

We spent the next two weeks inpatient at Frasier Rehab hospital trying to regain some mobility. What we didn't know was that in those two weeks his tumor had completely grown back and we had to leave rehab to begin radiation immediately. From December of 2021 to May of 2022, Quincy underwent a total of 55 sessions of radiation to his spinal cord and brain. He also had Avastin infusions and tried the chemo drug, Everolimus.  In June of 2022 his scans were showing stable. He had a few spots in his spine at this time and a small spot in his brain. By August at our next MRI scan the tumors had metastasized throughout both his spinal cord and brain. We immediately stopped the chemo drug we were on and began to focus on keeping him comfortable. They estimated us having 6-8 weeks, but Quincy only got 4 more. Quincy passed away at home with his family on September 2, 2022. He battled the monster DMG fearlessly for ten months. 

Before we even knew what DMG was or had any symptoms, Quincy enjoyed being an active 7 year old boy. He loved riding his go-kart, playing video games & helping on his Pappaw's farm.  With the total loss of mobility from the tumor and surgery, it left him unable to do a lot of his favorite things.  He still loved to snuggle with his momma & two kitties (Sprinkles & Peaches) & was the sweetest boy you'd ever meet.  He loved to give others gifts & made sure that everyone around him felt loved. He also loved to sing & music was a real passion of his. Throughout everything he went through, he never complained once & never asked why. He stayed faithfully positive and always with a beautiful smile on his face. Quincy was a total super hero.