Woodbridge Teen Makes Incredible Comeback After Brain Cancer

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — Ben's baaaacck! Ben Lepisto, a 15-year-old student at Woodbridge High School who was diagnosed with brain cancer last year, has made a full recovery. Expect to see him back in the high school hallways full time come September.

Ironically, Ben first noticed his health issues last year at his favorite place: On the Woodbridge Barrons baseball field. As a freshman, he had just made the baseball team and was beyond thrilled to be there. "Baseball is his favorite sport," his mother Amanda, told Patch. "He played second base, shortstop or outfielder."

But curiously, Ben noticed his eyesight would become blurry, particularly when he tried to focus on the ball. He had to pull back from the team and, as a natural athlete, started running track instead.

But Ben's symptoms didn't stop there. Increasingly, he would complain of headaches, headaches so bad they would make him vomit at times.

"And his behavior changed," his mom said. "He got very aggressive, very argumentative. And he was tired, really tired all the time."

In March of 2016, his parents took him to St. Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick, where they did an MRI. The scan revealed a large tumor in his brain, which was causing fluid build-up. Doctors drained the fluid and did a biopsy. The results came back: The tumor cells were cancerous. Ben was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor seen in children.

"We were absolutely devastated," Amanda said. "But we had to pulled ourselves together. We're just those kinds of people; we couldn't dwell on the negative. We said at least now we know what it is and at least we know how we're doing to deal with it."

His doctors scheduled surgery to remove the tumor right away. Ben endured a seven-hour surgery on April 1 and was then at St. Peter's for two weeks recovering. From there, his doctors recommended proton therapy. Proton treatment is a direct radiation therapy targeted at cells in a specific area, as opposed to traditional radiation, which covers a large area. Proton therapy reduces the risk of damage to healthy tissue and organs near a cancerous tumor, which is particularly important for a young man like Ben whose brain is still developing. Ben was treated at the ProCure proton therapy center right in Somerset.

His treatment was aggressive: Last May, he started receiving radiation plus chemotherapy five times a week for six weeks. He would need to continue the chemotherapy alone for six months after that. As summer started, Ben seemed to be getting better. The proton therapy was working. But then, in July, the Lepisto family was hit with a devastating setback: The cancer had spread to Ben's lymph nodes.

"It was really scary. Everything was looking really good and then we noticed the lymph nodes on his neck were getting bigger," Amanda recalled. "Doctors removed the smallest lymph node and yes, it was positive for cancer. Experts said they were shocked at how quickly his cancer spread."

In fact, Ben's case was entered into medical journals for how quickly — and unexpectedly — the cancer cells spread. However, doctors and his family refused to let it unnerve them: After the lymph node removal surgery, they decided to continue with the treatment as planned.

Through it all, Ben lost a lot of weight. His energy levels plummeted. He lost all his hair. But he never lost his spirit, his mother says. And the Woodbridge community has been a source of strength, his mother said.

"We're friends with a lot of people in town, through sports and so on, and the Woodbridge school system and everyone just rallied around us," Amanda said. "It's been so nice. We never wanted to be in anyone's faces with this. But our neighbors started a meal train for us, and there have been lots of fundraisers and dinners for Ben."

And through it all, Ben has been "really good and positive," his mother said. "They told us last year he would not be in school in 2017. But Ben told them, 'No. By December I am going to be over this.' He was really, really determined to beat this. Ben was more upset about seeing other sick children in the hospital than he was about himself."

And the treatment appeared to work. Ben is now cancer free! Ben was home-schooled throughout his treatment and he kept up with his studies. He started coming back to Woobridge High School towards the tail end of this school year, for half days. He will be back full-time in September, where he'll start his junior year. Ben had to learn how to walk again and uses an aide to help him go up and down stairs. He'll continue going to physical therapy.

"He won't be on any sports teams anytime soon," his mom said wryly. "But we're positive the cancer won't come back. Ben's in a good place. We all are."

And Ben can't wait to just be a regular Woodbridge high school student again.

“I’m excited that I’ll be able to stay on track with school and start getting involved in activities again,” Ben said. “I was really determined to fight my battle against cancer so I can continue doing the things I love. For any other kids going through sickness or struggles, my message is simple: Stay driven and stay hopeful.”

Top photo and above: Ben at an Operation DreamLift event, which takes kids to Disney World.