Chip's gift

In 2020, 12-year-old Greyson “Grey” Pacifico was thriving as a straight-A student and had just been accepted into the STEM program at Lake Asbury Junior High. But over Christmas break, Grey contracted COVID-19 and began experiencing persistent headaches that gradually raised concern.

A few weeks after the holiday break, on January 22, 2021, he woke up vomiting, alarming his mother, Tari Pacifico. Grey’s pediatrician ordered an MRI at Wolfson Children’s Hospital, and the results showed that Grey had a brain tumor.

“After the MRI, we never left the hospital,” Tari remembered. “They just wheeled us straight to the Emergency Room. That’s when we knew something was wrong.”

There, Tari and Grey met with UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville pediatric neurosurgeon Philipp Aldana, MD, co-medical director of the Walter and Michelle Stys Neuroscience Institute at Wolfson Children’s Hospital. Dr. Aldana told Tari and Grey that, based on the MRI results, he would need to do a biopsy to diagnose the tumor and try to remove it.

Shocking diagnosis

After a 12-hour surgery just three days later, Dr. Aldana diagnosed Grey with a rare, aggressive embryonal brain tumor, which is a type of fast-growing brain cancer that starts in the brain or spinal cord. Due to its severity, Grey underwent a second nine-hour surgery weeks later.

“Greyson's tumor was near an area of the brain critical to speech and other essential functions, which meant we had to be careful during the removal to not cause damage. I was happy that we were able to eventually remove the tumor completely, as anything left remaining would significantly affect his outcome,” Dr. Aldana said.

Grey spent weeks after both surgeries recovering in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Wolfson Children’s Hospital, where he also received chemotherapy.

Tari said having Wolfson Children’s Hospital so close to home gave her peace of mind.

“We moved to the area in 2012. We’re at one of the best children’s hospitals in the country and that is the reason Grey is still cancer-free,” she said. “It’s so nice knowing that if something happens again, we’re right where we need to be.”

Puppy helps patient through treatment

“As soon as Grey was diagnosed and we found out how bad it was, I was researching everything I could find to help, outside of what the doctors were doing,” Tari remembered. “I was thinking about his physical and mental health through this diagnosis.”

Through her research, Tari learned that dogs can help patients through treatment and recovery.

“Grey and I talked about it, and I asked him what kind of dog he’d like. It ended up being between a Chihuahua and a Frenchie [French bulldog], and he decided on a Frenchie that he named Chip,” she said.

“I couldn’t have done it without him,” Grey said. “He was there for me the whole time. He was right next to me, by my side.”

Grey’s experience with Chip during more than two years of treatment made him think about other kids who were newly diagnosed with cancer and how a dog might help them.

“Grey talked to me about establishing a foundation to help other ‘superheroes’ fighting childhood cancer,” Tari said. “He chose the name ‘Grey’s Superhero Foundation,’ and we began working to support the cost of providing a puppy, including supplies and training for the dogs.”

The first Frenchie puppy went to Zoee Foster, a newly diagnosed cancer patient at Wolfson Children’s Hospital, who named her puppy Chunk.

Tari said the foundation is truly a family effort.

“Grey’s sister, Addi, plays a big role in the nonprofit. She’s a board member and has volunteered over 1,000 hours raising two litters of puppies, including the one Chunk came from,” said Tari. “I couldn’t have done it without her.”

Zoee’s mom, Traci, said her daughter and Chunk have become inseparable.

“They are the best of friends. Wherever Zoee goes, Chunk goes. During the day, while she’s at school, he lies in her bed waiting for her to come home,” Traci said. “He has been such a supportive little guy to her during the hardest times.”

Healing and excelling

While Grey’s memory was impacted by the brain tumor and the surgery to remove it, he remained committed to his schoolwork.

“Despite brain cancer treatment, Grey worked hard from 6th to 8th grade to qualify for the Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education program in high school, which is an upper-level high-school curriculum created by the University of Cambridge in England,” Tari said. “He spent 20 to 30 hours a week on homework because his tumor affected memory, reading and motor skills. It was a long recovery.”

November 2024 marked three years cancer-free for Grey, who also recently completed his sophomore year at Clay High School and got his driver’s license. He enjoys science and continues to excel in school and recently started a job at River City K-9, which is where Chip, Chunk and the nonprofit's future Frenchie's will be trained.

“I am definitely going to college after high school, and I want to be a veterinarian," Grey said, adding that he wants to attend the University of Florida. “I just love animals. I want to help the world and help animals.”

The pediatric neurology and neurosurgery teams with the Walter and Michelle Stys Neuroscience Institute at Wolfson Children’s Hospital diagnose and treat a wide range of brain and spine conditions from epilepsy to brain tumors. To learn more, visit wolfsonchildrens.com/neuro.

Grey's Superhero Foundation, Inc. is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit and is not affiliated with Baptist Health or Wolfson Children’s Hospital.