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CLEARFIELD — Shortly after his mom was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer, 16-year-old Joshua Jones was diagnosed with a brain tumor for the second time in his short life.
The recent Eagle Scout’s mother, Ruth Jones, learned she had paget disease — which occurs in about 1 to 4 percent of breast cancer cases — Jan. 20.
"Right now, because they took my breast and the cancer I had is not aggressive, I don’t treat, we watch,” Ruth Jones said. “... Every six months I have to go for scans and watch for it to come back.”
Her health is not the only concern for the family.
About three weeks ago, Joshua Jones began experiencing symptoms that eventually led to his diagnosis. He underwent emergency brain surgery April 4, where 75 percent of his tumor was removed, his mom said.
“Surgery didn’t leave him with any impairments, which is a major blessing,” Ruth Jones said. “They were worried that he would lose the use of his left side. So in that sense it went very well.”
Ruth Jones said doctors believe the tumor is recurrent. Her son was previously diagnosed with a brain tumor at age 8.
Joshua Jones is doing well with all of his, his mother said, and he likes being bald.
“I think he knows this time is different,” Ruth Jones said. “He was really worried at first, because last time he was very isolated, the treatment made him very susceptible to disease, so we had to keep him away from everybody. And we’ve already told him we won’t do that again. He can do whatever he wants if he wants to. And we’re trying really hard to let him have joy.”
Ruth Jones is hosting a yard sale from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 376 E. 2200 South in Clearfield. Many people have donated items for the yard sale.
A GoFundMe account* was set up for the Jones family. To donate, visit the website.
“Joshua is a tremendous young man, and this challenge is devastating for us as a family, but we know that God has a purpose for him and he teaches us every day with his strength and his faith,” Ruth Jones said.
*KSL.com does not assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
