Nicholas O Ubannwa

Nicholas was born June 5, 2006. He was a loving and confident young boy with a huge heart and personality to match. Nicholas was diagnosed with Pineoblastoma with Metastatic Disease on September 12, 2009 when he was just three years old. He had a malignant brain tumor and cancer along his spine. Without a cure, Nicholas' doctors gave him very few odds of surviving beyond that first year. Nic showed remarkable resilience and within six months of treatment the tumor in his brain was completely gone and after 6 weeks of radiation Nicholas went into remission. The treatments left Nic with significant delays but he remained a happy boy. For three years, Nic was in intense outpatient therapy for physical and motor delays. He worked hard at learning in school and most everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him developed an attachment to him instantly. Much to his doctor's surprise, the cancer remained in remission for several years. In 2012 during a routine bone health check-up the disease was discovered in his pelvis. It is rare for this type of cancer to move beyond the spine. Tests revealed tumors in his pelvis and other areas of his bone. Bone cancers, especially solid tumors are extremely painful but Nic continued to wow doctors as his body held up through more chemotherapy treatments. The pain from the boney tumors required aggressive pain medications and for him to be hospitalized, so they could find medications to manage his pain. The medications had sedating affects and he had an aspiration episode where he swallowed a large amount of fluid into his lungs, developing what is called aspiration pneumonia. He ultimately ended up in the ICU in January 2014, where he had to be intubated 3 times, endured a tracheostomy, Gtube to provide food and medications directly to his stomach, and constant fevers from the growth of the cancer, It was a devastating setback that ended his chemotherapy treatments and allowed the cancer to grow. It was a painful process for Nicholas who fought every day to regain his strength. On April 11th at 7:20pm Nic ended his fight and finally rested. His fight lasted almost five years. He is survived by his mother, father, brother, grandparents, family, and friends. We will always remember him.