Two-year-old Jace Spears zipped across his backyard in Fawn, running between the tire swing, the slide and a myriad of tricycles.
His older brother, Connor, 11, trailed behind, asking Jace about the Spiderman costume he would wear for trick or treat.
The gravity of the scene wasn’t lost on Jace’s parents, Bryan and Lindsay. Their toddler wasn’t expected to make it this long.
Jace was diagnosed in 2025 with an atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT), a rare and aggressive cancer that forms in the brain or spinal cord. It primarily affects infants and children under 3.
“He’s kickin’ butt,” Bryan said, from their home along Burtner Road.
“It wasn’t long ago they told us there was nothing they can do, but he’s made it longer than they thought.”
Five-year survival rates for ATRT range from 40% to 50%, with lower survival rates in children younger than 3 or cases with metastatic spread, according to the National Institutes of Health.
More than 90% of cases are caused by a mutation or loss of a tumor suppressor gene. Symptoms can include rapid onset of headaches, lethargy and poor balance or coordination.
Lindsay Spears first noticed something was off with her son in winter 2025.
“He showed some weakness in the right side of his face and he kept tilting his head, but otherwise he was fine,” she said. “We thought it might be Lyme disease.”
“Then one day, he stopped walking,” Bryan said. “He just wanted to be cuddled nonstop.”
A visit to UPMC Children’s Hospital revealed a diagnosis that shocked them.
“They came out and said, ‘There’s something in his head,’” Lindsay said.
Jace was put into a medically induced coma while doctors drained fluid from his brain. He underwent surgery, chemo and multiple stem cell transplants. The toddler was in his last month of treatment when he relapsed in 2025.
The family traveled to Philadelphia, where they stayed for seven weeks at the Ronald McDonald House while Jace received a course of proton radiation at Children’s Hospital.
“He did great, just like he had before,” Lindsay said. “During chemo, they were telling us to do what we could to keep him comfortable and he was running around. He had no side effects from the radiation either.”
In September, Jace relapsed for the second time and was taken off his steroids.
Again, he failed to decline as expected.
The Spears family has resisted the idea that the cancer returned.
“Look at him,” Bryan said. “They’re telling us he’s going to deteriorate but he’s running around and smiling.”
“I have faith that they’re wrong.”
Lindsay believes that it could be necrosis, or damaged tissue, causing fluid to build. Jace’s next scan is scheduled in December.
Until then, he was prescribed medication called Avastin, which alleviates fluid and cuts off a tumor’s potential blood supply to slow any spread.
Depending on the results, the family is considering a multi-treatment trial in San Francisco aimed at evaluating novel therapies for children with cases of ATRT. It is conducted by the Pacific Pediatric Neuro-oncology Consortium.
“I was too scared to research it in the beginning but when they presented it as if there’s nothing else they can do, we couldn’t take that as an answer,” Lindsay said.
The family thanked the community for stepping up to help. Bryan, a truck driver, has been able to maintain his work schedule but Lindsay has had to take a leave from her job at Giant Eagle in New Kensington.
“The help from family, friends and strangers has been amazing,” Lindsay said. “It’s been the only way we’ve been able to get along.”
Anyone interested in following Jace’s journey can visit Facebook at Jace’s Battle Buddies.
If you go
Who: Jace Spears, two-year-old fighting brain cancer
What: Spaghetti dinner fundraiser
When: 2 to 6 p.m. Nov. 7
Where: Generations House of Worship, 1160 Parkside Drive, Brackenridge
Details: Proceeds will benefit the Spears family. Monetary donations are accepted. Call Shannon at 724-524-1515 or email Shannon.crissman@yahoo.com.