It all started with an almost imperceptible detail.
Shortly after turning 4, Baxter Burnham’s left eye began to cross intermittently. His parents, Jennifer and Bryce, took him to an ophthalmologist who suspected strabismus, a condition that can often be treated. They recommended an eye patch, and eye surgery was scheduled for mid-April.
But before the surgery, an MRI was performed, and that image changed everything: there was a brain tumor. It was a diffuse midline glioma, a rare and very aggressive cancer in the brainstem, an area where it cannot be completely removed.
They removed the part that was in the cerebellum, and he received proton radiation therapy. The family also tried other treatments and traveled to Europe twice in search of alternatives.
Baxter died on October 5, 2026, at age 4. His mother shared the cause days later. And although a misaligned eye almost never signals something like this, the case shows why additional tests are sometimes requested before surgery. 💔