Kelab Eubanks
Kelab Eubanks was born as a very special Christmas Eve baby to his proud parents on December 24, 2016. Kelab is right in the middle of a big, loving family that has a total of nine kids! Being a member of a big family means Kelab is blessed with built in friends, lots of ready made adventures and rarely a dull moment. Kelab is hands on with everything he does and loves to get right in the middle of all the action. He loves being outside and really enjoys sports like soccer and football, running and jumping on trampolines. A really great day for Kelab would include having a mega nerf war with his brothers and buddies, building legos, and playing some video games. Kelab's favorite place to visit is the Wisconsin Dells, especially Great Wolf Lodge because waterparks are really his kind of thing. The best trip his family has gotten to take was to Disney World for Kelab's Make-A-Wish trip where they had an amazing time and made so many great family memories. Kelab's dad, Kelly describes his son as a “do it myself” kind of guy through and through who is always up for a challenge and has not been daunted in the least by his diagnosis.
Diagnosis
In March of 2023 when Kelab was six years old, his parents noticed some extremely concerning symptoms, including drooping on one side of his face, loss of balance and overall weakness. They immediately thought Kelab might be suffering from a stroke which seemed unimaginable for a child his age. On March 1, they took him immediately to the Emergency Room where the doctors ordered an MRI. That scan showed that Kelab had a tumor in his brainstem that was causing his stroke-like symptoms and his parents were told for the first time that it was DIPG. Like so many other families, his mom and dad had had never heard of DIPG before and felt completely lost.
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Luckily, they felt that they were immediately in good hands at the hospital as Kelab began treatment and are so thankful for the support of his social worker and nursing team. Kelab's treatment path has not been easy and he is defying the odds, more than two years after his initial diagnosis. His family credits not only his medical team, but their community of grandparents, cousins, extended family, teachers and friends that have loved them, lifted them up on hard days and and prayed alongside their family as they walk with Kelab through his DIPG journey.
Kelab's dad, Kelly is sharing his story today in hopes that it will be an inspiration to another family in whatever way necessary. He also shares that is feels like a relief to be able to speak about their family's life with DIPG and how they find joy in every day to honor his son's courage, relentless joyfulness and eternal sense of adventure.
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Kelab is an incredible kid with a family support system that loves him relentlessly and never wavers in their belief that Kelab has so many more adventures to take and the Archer Foundation is proud to join them in their hope for many more good days.
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