STILL FIGHTING

HERITAGE HARBOUR — Anthony Littlejohn lifts his son, Adrian, and lays the child against his chest as his wife, Ivette, settles on the couch beside him.

The 14-month-old whines gently after waking from an afternoon nap.

The child is so small in his father’s loving arms but still has such a big fight ahead.

For Anthony, a football and track coach at Lakewood Ranch High School, it feels much like being in the fourth quarter of a football game down by seven with 90 yards to go and no time on the clock. There’s no star quarterback and no time outs.

In late November, the couple learned Adrian was suffering from a stage-four atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor, a rare pediatric cancer, in his spine. Although Adrian initially responded well to chemotherapy, his tumor now has grown and even has spread into his lungs.

“We’ve never been through this before,” Anthony says. “There’s no video to be prepared. Death is something that’s going to happen (eventually), but you can’t prepare for it. You live to live.”

The Payton Wright Foundation, a Lakewood Ranch-based nonprofit founded by Patrick and Holly Wright, has stepped in to help the family pay utility and other bills as well as to provide gas cards for travel to and from hospital visits.

The organization is hosting its annual Payton Wright Foundation Golf Outing fundraiser May 13 at the Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club on the Kings Dunes and Cypress Links courses. An After Party will follow at The Lake Club. Cost is $200 for golfing and the banquet or $50 for the banquet alone.

Monies from the event will help families like the Littlejohns, and another East County family that came
under the organization’s aid just last week, with paying their bills and other expenses related to their child’s treatment.

“If there’s anything we can do to help families get through this, we’re going to do it,” Patrick Wright said.

After all, it was just five short years ago that the Wrights were in the same position as the Littlejohns. Their daughter, Payton, was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor at just 4 years old. She died in May 2007. Since then, her parents have taken inspiration from their daughter to help other children such as Adrian, whose bout has been full of highs and lows since last Thanksgiving.

Chemotherapy seemed to be working at first for Adrian, but at a checkup March 22, the family learned his tumor had returned three times its original size and there were spots in his lungs. Within a week, the spots had turned to a tumor.

Adrian started two-and-one-half weeks of radiation treatment and now is finishing a 10-day rest at home. After he completes another round of radiation, he’ll start a 21-day dose of chemotherapy and antibiotics.
“I see in him a lot of me,” Anthony says. “He’s a true fighter. He works hard. (But) I have no idea how to teach him.

“He’s on his own, really,” he says. “He’s the one fighting it. It’s him and the good Lord.”

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].

EVENT INFORMATION
What: Payton Wright Foundation 4th Annual Golf Tournament & After Party
When: May 13. Golf starts at noon; After party starts at 6 p.m.
Where: Golf: Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club, 7650 Legacy Blvd.; After Party: The Lake Club at Lakewood Ranch, 15804 Clearlake Ave.
Details: Golf registration starts at 10 a.m., with a shotgun start at noon. Fee includes greens fee, a cart, a boxed lunch, a gift bag and a banquet ticket. After party includes dinner, a silent auction and music.
Cost: Golf costs $200 per golfer; After Party costs $50 per person (Ticket required).
Tickets or sponsorships: Patrick Wright, 893-7007 or [email protected] or Anne Goyer, 373-1830 or [email protected].
Information: www.paytonwright.org