Latest Updates

Nolan Thomas O’Brien passed on Sunday, November 8 , 2026, after a three year battle with cancer. 11 years old and a student at Rosa International Middle School, Nolan was beloved by his family, his friends, and his community. He loved sports, the Shore, Cheetos, his friends, root beer, dancing, his brother Harry, and his family. He was funny, patient, caring, and growing so fast.

This post has been incredibly difficult to write, but it's a long time coming. You're likely aware that Nolan was admitted to CHOP on September 10 with new symptoms related to tumor growth. We had learned from his MRI scans in late June that his tumors had shrunk, and we were thrilled. Nolan had a relatively typical summer while fighting delayed side effects from his CSI radiation. He attended his beloved Sunrise summer camp, thanks to the amazing and caring staff there. He s

Brotherly Love Hello! We hope you all are enjoying summer, it's hard to believe it's almost over (shhh). We refuse to accept it! Nolan had a rough start to summer, experiencing something called somnolence which can occur following radiation. It mostly involves extreme fatigue. We have done our best to combat it with steriods and as much rest as possible. Nolan, the warrior he is, has been pushing to attend camp and get glimpses of as much of a normal summer as possible.

Life has been quite a whirlwind for Nolan and our family. We began January with the clinical trial which consisted of weekly visits to the CHOP day clinic for chemo IV treatments along with daily doses of various medications. It took some time, but Nolan finally got used to swallowing meds and getting poked weekly for chemo and standard bloodwork. Once we got a rhythm we were hit with news that Nolan had some growth in his spinal tumor. His trial doctor was concerned that

Hello! We hope you’ve had a nice holiday season and a happy new year. Following Nolan’s successful surgery in early December and continued recovery we head into 2026 filled with lots of hope. Next week Nolan will begin his clinical trial. Mostly oral medications with two infusions. The doctors informed us that Nolan’s tissue responded well to numerous medications tested against it impressing even the scientists. To say this gives us lots of hope along with relief is an under

We’ve spent the last 2.5 years grateful for clean scans and holding our breath for continued health. Unfortunately toward the end of this past October we noticed Nolan experiencing some facial weakness. We had a planned MRI on 11/03, while we hoped for the best we were shocked to find out a brain tumor had returned, this time in a different spot and wrapped around the facial and auditory nerves. Our oncologist was optimistic letting us know that Dr. Storm could likely oper

Hello! We hope you have been having a great summer! Nolan has been enjoying camp this year, trips to the shore and time at the pool with...

Happy birthday to our hero Nolan!! Hard to believe he is 9! It's been a busy winter of indoor soccer, school and health. We thank you for...

We've realized it's been quite some time since we posted an update, we've been back in a more normal routine over here which has been...

We are so excited to share that thanks to the incredible generosity of our donors, Team Navigating Nolan has successfully raised $10,000...

This week Nolan and his brother Harry went back to school and are finally at the same school again! They had a great week and we are...

Hello! We are enjoying the last month of summer with some fun activities. We are so grateful to those that have set us up with some fun...

Today was Nolan's last day of radiation treatment and we couldn't have been more thrilled for him. We are so proud of how he handled all...

Hello! We are happy to report Nolan's got one week left of radiation! He's doing great with physical therapy and is enjoying the last...

Hello and happy Friday !! Not too many updates this week except that Nolan is now able to fully submerge and swim underwater which he was...