Herbert James Taylor

#Herbieshealingjourney

DREAM TRIP TO DISNEY WORLD
& GIVE KIDS THE WORLD VILLAGE

Goal: $5,000

Herbie was a beautiful 4-year-old boy who loved life and loved everyone around him. He loved to play soccer and run around outside whenever he had a chance.

Everything changed, however, on September 3rd 2021. As fast as an MRI can take pictures of a brain, our lives changed. I was ordered by the doctor to get Herbie to Lurie Children's Hospital immediately because they found a huge mass in his brain. After that, things got a little foggy for me because I was in complete shock. I didn’t know if I was going to lose my boy at that moment.

However, on September 4, 2021, Herbie was saved. His doctor was able to resect the entire mass from his brain. This didn’t come without consequence, though. He could not walk for about a couple of weeks and was in a lot of pain. We also then found out the tumor was cancerous, and it was called Medulloblastoma. Life never would be the same.

Herbie should have been starting his first day of kindergarten but Instead was lying in a hospital bed. The next month, Herbie had to endure 30 rounds of proton radiation and had to be put under daily for six weeks. This would result in weight loss and he would lose all his hair. After radiation, he then had to begin chemotherapy, which also would cause him to be very sick at times, lose weight, and also lose his hair.

Because of treatment, we missed many family gatherings, trips, and visits with others, and he had to miss the entire year of school. My husband also was the breadwinner at the time, but because of the circumstances of the situation, he also stayed home for a couple of months. Since Herbie’s coordination was greatly affected, he could no longer play soccer or do anything too physical. He could not even see many of his friends at the time. It was utterly heartbreaking.

This dream would be amazing for our whole family. Not only because we haven’t really had a family vacation in 3 years but also because Herbie has always wanted to go to Disneyworld. He has it on his vision board. We are unbelievably thankful for our community and everyone who is involved in helping us through this awful part of life right now.

- Rachael Navurskis