‘Keep pushing forward’: Teen cancer survivor shares message of hope

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — On the first day of school last year at Comstock Park High School, now 16-year-old Konnor Vandyke was complaining about a headache to his dad, Shaune Vandyke.

The family spent weeks going to different doctors and getting tests done, but the headaches still persisted. Last Oct. 13, a Friday, his headaches led him to an ambulance.

“I was completely out of it; I knew my name one time they asked me and then they asked me again and I gave a completely different name. I didn’t know where I was, just completely out of it. Didn’t know what day it was,” Konnor Vandyke told News 8.

As Konnor Vandyke and his father made their way to the emergency room, they did not know that day would be the start to a long road ahead.

“I’ll never forget it,” Shaune Vandyke said. “We get the scan and they tell us he’s got a golf ball-sized brain tumor on his brain stem.”

Konnor Vandyke was diagnosed with a rare cancer called medulloblastoma that starts at the bottom back of the brain. After that diagnosis, Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital became their new home.

During the month of September, Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, many honor pediatric cancer patients and survivors and raise awareness for the battles they face.

“The first six months we were probably living out of one of these hospital rooms,” Konnor Vandyke said. “In those six months, we would have to do radiation and chemo.”

Shaune Vandyke said that the hardest part was remaining strong amid the chaos.

“You got to stay solid as a rock because nobody knows what’s going on yet and you got to stay strong,” he said.

Months later, on July 24, Konnor got to ring the bell to celebrate that he was in remission.

“It’s nice to know you that you are not alone and that you have someone in your corner, that’s not just your family,” Konnor Vandyke said.

Shaune Vandyke hopes to spread a message about their experience, even if it helps just one family.

“Advocate for your kid, look out for the small signs if something seems off, take that extra second to see if they are OK,” he said.

Now as they both have a moment to breathe again, they say this experience gave them new perspectives.

“It’s rough but you just have to keep pushing on. If somebody knows, they know cancer sucks, but it’s not a new thing. You just got to keep pushing forward, stay strong,” Konnor Vandyke said.

They still have a long journey ahead of both of them. Shaune Vandyke said he will cherish every moment a little more now.

“It humbles you and it makes you realize what’s important in life and that everything is just a grab away,” he said. “You got to go through everyday waking up and say, ‘I am going to make a positive memory today, what’s it going to be?’ and that’s kind of how we move forward.”

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