Sawyer Jules travelled to B.C. Children's Hospital after doctors discovered a brain tumour. He has since returned to Kamloops after his family learned the cancer spread.

Image Credit: Contributed

KAMLOOPS - A local family who recently found out their two-year-old son had brain cancer has been rocked with even more tragic news.

While operating on the shunt in Sawyer Jules’ brain after an infection just before his final session of chemotherapy in Vancouver, surgeons discovered the cancer had spread.

“It’s not the circumstances or the news we wanted to bring Sawyer home to,” Tasha Araneda, the boy’s aunt, says through tears. “All we can do is make the most memories with him while he’s with us and keep hope."

Araneda says the family returned to Kamloops yesterday, March 7, and is taking the news ‘one day at a time’. As for the child, she says Sawyer remains strong, but is visibly tired after all his treatments.

"He still smiles. He probably doesn’t really understand what’s going on and doesn’t understand why he’s in this pain and what’s happening,” she says.

Before his initial treatments the Araneda family appealed to the public for donations to help with costs. Now, they’re hoping donations will continue so Sawyer’s parents can prolong their time at home with their son instead of returning to work.

“No parent should experience what they’re experiencing right now,” Araneda says. “We just want them to be able to make memories with their family and not worry about bills or anything. The pain we’re feeling, theirs is ten times worse. Even if it’s just comments or prayers, hopes — anything counts at this time."

To donate, visit the family’s GoFundMe page, here.

Rocky Hunter, who owns both Domino's Pizza locations in Kamloops, says he will have a meal promotion with some of the funds going towards Sawyer's family. For every two medium pizzas and cheese bread deals, for $19.99, Hunter says $5 will go to support Sawyer and his family. He'll also says to watch for pizzas on Kamloops social media bidding sites. Hunter says he understands how tough it can be on families dealing with cancer because his wife survived two bouts of cancer. 

To contact a reporter for this story, email Glynn Brothen at gbrothen@infonews.ca, or call 250-319-7494. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

— This story was updated at 4:18 p.m., March 9, 2016, with details about the Domino's Pizza fundraiser.

News from © iNFOnews, 2016