Boy’s dream within reach, but donations needed to make trip a reality
Gabriel's surgery in March 2015 removed most of the tumor, and he is undergoing chemotherapy, but the remainder is still inoperable, doctors say. "There are days that are really hard on him," said his mother, Daniela Richard, a member of St. Paul of Tarsus Parish in Clinton Township.Family Photos
Clinton Township — To his family and the St. Paul of Tarsus Parish community, he is Gabe. But to the Archdiocese of Detroit — and perhaps the world — he should be known as Gabriel the Brave.
Gabriel Richard — named after the archangel, not the priest — is a 6-year-old with an immeasurable claim to being the bravest member of the Catholic community in southeast Michigan. For almost three years now, this Lego-loving, card-playing, board-game aficionado 6-year-old boy has been in a bout with Pilomyxoid Astrocytoma, a Stage II form of pediatric brain cancer.
It began after his third birthday, when Gabe came down with bronchitis and pneumonia, beginning a series of drastic mood swings. By the time he was 4, his behavior got worse, forcing his parents to admit him to St. John’s Hospital and Henry Ford Health System.
After initial tests came back with no diagnosis, Gabe had an MRI conducted at Children’s Hospital of Michigan’s neurology center, where on March 8, 2015, it was confirmed Gabe had a brain tumor the size of a grapefruit that was in need of immediate operation.
Most of the tumor was removed the following day, setting off a series of events that included multiple trips to the hospital and another surgery, where doctors inserted a mediport into his chest in order to begin 74 weeks of chemotherapy.
Gabriel’s mother, Daniela, chronicles Gabe’s progress on the website, gabesjourney.com, which includes updates and ways to financially support the Richard family.
“Gabe was scared for the first month of chemo,” Daniela writes. “It took several nurses to hold him down when they started his mediport. Treatment took six to eight hours once the mediport was started.”
The continuous chemo treatment, finger pricks for blood sampling and constantly feeling weak took a toll on Gabe, according to Daniela.
“I’m tired; we’re just all tired,” Daniela said in an interview with The Michigan Catholic. “He hates going to chemo, even though he doesn’t throw a fit anymore. He is tired of the side effects, tired of taking 18 pills a day.”
Six months into the initial chemo treatment, Gabe was experiencing the typical signs of chemotherapy: hair loss, vomiting, loss of strength. Gabriel the Brave was taking it in stride, his mom said, but he hit a roadblock when an MRI checkup revealed the tumor had grown back, too small for operation.
Gabe’s case went back to the Tumor Board, a panel of 35 doctors from different specialties. The board agreed to try a different kind of chemotherapy, starting the 74-week treatment all over again.
“Every two weeks, he gets an MRI to check on the treatment,” Daniela Richard said. “He is still a happy boy, tries to live as much of a normal life as possible. But he still has nightmares about it.”
Gabe is counting down to Thanksgiving, when he’s scheduled to finish chemotherapy. The new treatment has reduced the size of the tumor, but it’s still inoperable.
Six-year-old Gabriel Richard stands with his sister, Angela, in their family living room at Easter. Gabriel, who was diagnosed with Pilomyxoid Astrocytoma, a Stage II form of pediatric brain cancer, in March 2015, has been invited to visit with Pope Francis at the Vatican in August.Family Photos
Gabe, a first-grader at Seminole Academy in Mount Clemens, is taking things day by day. Thanks to the Rainbow Connection of Michigan, Gabe and his family are set to take a trip to Disney World and, “even better,” Lego Land in June this year.
In August, he might even have the chance to see the Holy Father. Gabe’s grandfather, a retired deacon, has arranged with the Vatican for a front-row audience with Pope Francis on Aug. 17.
The meeting between Gabriel the Brave and Pope Francis is scheduled, but is still contingent upon one thing:
“If we can raise the money, we’ll be able to go, but we have about a month to go,” Daniela said. “We set up a PayPal and GoFundMe account for the trip. Realistically, we’d need $75,000 for the trip. We need $10,000 just for air fare. A lot of people have ‘liked’ his Facebook page, but we really need support.”
Locally, Daniela said the St. Paul of Tarsus community has been supportive of the Richard family’s cause, helping in any way they can.
“Fr. Ron (Essman) has been wonderful, blessing Gabe every Sunday, anointing him before the MRIs,” Daniela said. “He’s letting me have a flier added to the bulletin that will go out on Sunday. The parish community knows his situation; we have Mass said for him regularly, once a month.”
As the family encourages people to donate what they can, Gabriel the Brave remains strong, according to his mom. But there are days when all he wants to do is run, swim, hike and get into trouble like every other 6-year old boy.
“I think there are days that are really hard on him, certain times at school when he has to wear a mask over his face,” Daniela said. “He can’t go in public if his blood count is too low, or he has to wear a mask because of the germs in the crowd. We take him to places like Chuck E. Cheese or the bouncy castle, and he’s excited to be there, but he’s not glowing.
“Still, he remains our brave boy. He just wants all this to go away.”
Support Gabe’s Journey
The family of 6-year-old Gabriel Richard will host two fundraisers to support his trip to see Pope Francis in August, as well as to pay mounting medical bills:
- Bowling Fundraiser for Gabe, 5:30 p.m. May 1 at Alley 59, 44925 Groesbeck, Clinton Township. Tickets $20-25.
- Dinner Fundraiser for Gabe, 6:30-10:30 p.m. June 9, Villa Penna Restaurant, 43985 Hayes Road, Sterling Heights. Tickets $20-25.
For tickets or to donate to Gabe’s cause, visit gabesjourney.com for a link to his GoFundMe and Paypal pages, or for more information.
