Hillsborough 5-Year-Old And Dad Both Battling Brain Cancer Together

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — For almost three years, the Eick Family of Hillsborough has been dealing with a roller coaster of emotions following their daughter Adeline's diagnosis and ongoing treatment of brain cancer.

Now another bomb has dropped on the family who are made up of mom and dad Christine and Ed, their 5-year-old daughter Adeline, and 10-month-old daughter Scarlett.

In October, Ed was diagnosed with grade 4 glioblastoma. Glioblastoma is a type of cancer that starts as a growth of cells in the brain or spinal cord. It grows quickly and can invade and destroy healthy tissue, according mayoclinic.org.

While there is no cure for glioblastoma, treatments may slow cancer growth and reduce symptoms.

Ed had previously been diagnosed with stage 4 thyroid cancer about 10 years ago but it was completely removed and nothing was reported since.

Then toward the end of August, Ed said he started bumping into walls in his house, stepping on things and just overlooked things. Doctors associated this with Ed having PTSD and depression from dealing with the ongoing battle Adeline faced.

An MRI was scheduled and while waiting for that Ed had three very minor car crashes where he side-swiped his car on the same side. He went to the eye doctor where he found out he lost a portion of his vision in one area causing his brain to try and compensate and fill in the missing pieces of the picture.

He then began to struggle to walk and a neighbor gave him a cane.

"That's when I got really worried," said Christine.

The MRI scan revealed two tumors in Ed's head. On Sept. 28 he underwent surgery to remove the tumors, which a pathology report diagnosed as grade 4 glioblastoma.

"It is the worst of the worst," Ed said of the tumors. "If all tumors were sharks this is like the Great White."

Even though the tumors were completely removed, Ed still has to undergo chemo and radiation and take a lot of medication.

Christine said Ed's treatment is just like Adeline's, "who is thank goodness doing well since her last craniotomy. But she still takes chemo at home every day and goes to CHOP[Children's Hospital of Philadelphia] every 3 weeks for infusions."

In a strange twist of fate, Christine and Ed said they were grateful for everything they had been through with Adeline. All the learning and researching about the diagnosis and treatments has helped them to make better decisions on what treatments Ed now needs for himself.

They got a second opinion and found a doctor from Columbia Presbyterian Hospital who is using an off-label medication. However, because of this, they are fighting their insurance to get the medication covered.

Out of pocket, the medication would cost the Eicks $5,000 a month.

Currently, Ed is not working as he was the caregiver for Adeline and now Christine is taking some time off. Christine must return to work, though, as the family relies on her health insurance. They have applied for disability.

"While I am able-bodied right now I still can't drive anymore. People are filling in to help with my daily trips to radiation. Even things like going to the store - it's a struggle," said Ed.

Ed has a long road ahead of himself as he undergoes radiation and chemotherapy.

"I'm in denial too about how long I might have. Going down that road and leaving my family alone it's nuts," said Ed, who could not hide his emotion over the phone.

Ed is currently speaking with therapists to help him manage his mental health through this journey.

"We are in this as a family. No one fights alone. We are in this together," said Christine.

While the grim reality of this diagnosis is devastating for the family, the Eicks continue to keep positive.

"For the last 2 and half years we have lived in the moment, lived day-by-day," Edd Eick told Patch. "We have to keep positive because every day is beautiful."

The family has a GoFundMe and social media pages set up for Adeline that they are now using to update everyone on Adeline and Ed. They continue to need help with travel and medical expenses.

"There are so many expenses that people don't even realize that add up. We don't even have time to cook our own meals anymore," said Ed.

For more information or to donate visit gofundme.com/f/adeline-prevails or facebook.com/adelineprevails or instagram.com/adelineprevails.

• See Related: Hillsborough 3-Year-Old Fighting Brain Cancer Needs Your Help
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