Orland Park Family Takes Life One MRI at a Time

Katy Ruisz finds herself holding her breath.

Lately, the Orland Park resident waits for three months at a time for news about her son Connor that can drastically change her whole family's situation. 

Her 4-year-old son is in remission from a rare form of brain cancer, but that could change each time he's tested. 

"You live in a three-month timeframe," Ruisz said. "I can't plan our summer, until we get through our June MRI.

"And I feel like we just got through March," she said. 

A year ago, Connor was diagnosed with Anaplastic Medulloblastoma, a cancer that grows on the cerebellum, the lower base of the brain that controls balance, movement and posture.

. Every three months for the next two years, doctors will take another look at his brain to see if the tumor has returned. Over time, the scans will be fewer and farther in between, until he is declared cancer-free. 

Ruisz takes it one day at a time.

On April 22, family and friends will gather at to support Ruisz, her husband Michael, Connor and his siblings Zach and Sean. The event starts at 1 p.m., and a $35 ticket includes a buffet dinner, pop, water, beer and wine. A cash bar will be available, and a DJ will play music throughout the night. 

The evening will include raffles and silent auctions, with prizes ranging from $5,000, to tickets for Chicago White Sox and Northwestern University football games. Organizers will also raffle off sports memorabilia, including an autographed Bobby Hull jersey. 

For Connor and his family, the evening will be a chance to suspend worry and live in the moment—though Connor seems to be a pro at that. 

"He is such a trooper with it all," Ruisz said. "He does what he has to do, he doesn't complain. He's the sweetest, kindest, most loving kid."

Prior to his diagnosis, Connor would take summer trips to Lake Shafer. He spent time playing with his siblings, swimming and giggling. A lot changed with his diagnosis, but his attitude stayed the same. 

Even in his illness, she said, Connor thinks of other people more than himself—like the time she offered to buy him a sucker, and he insisted on one for each sibling, too. He's shy and normally doesn't say much, but when he does speak, his positive outlook colors each word. 

She's hoping that the support of friends and family will keep him thinking positive, even as some of the friends he's made during treatment experience relapses in their conditions. Ruisz tries not to dwell on those cases. 

"I can't predict the future, so I just try to enjoy the time we have now," she said. "One day, through all the prayers, we'll be able to call him a survivor."

THE DETAILS

What: Cure 4 Connor fundraiser
Where: Chicago Gaelic Park, Oak Forest
When: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 
Price: $35

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