No more chemo for Christmas

Christmas came early this year for 8–year–old Gabriel Goode who has battled cancer for over 2 years.

In addition to Pokémon, Legos, a scooter and Jurassic World toys, Gabriel asked Santa for no more chemo. He finished his final chemotherapy treatment Nov. 25.

Becoming a family

Grimes County Sheriff’s Office Deputy, Preston Goode, and his wife Brittany, who worked as a dispatcher, will celebrate their 10–year wedding anniversary Jan. 8. Unable to have children naturally, the couple decided to adopt.

“After getting every test and exploring every option medically, we made the absolute best decision of our lives and adopted all three of our children in October of 2020,” Preston said. Gabriel was 3–years old, little sister, Sylvia, was two and older brother, Cielo was four.

Preston said the children arrived home for the first time during the middle of the COVID–19 pandemic. The Goode family is like the 2018 comedy movie “Instant Family” starring Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne as parents that adopted three siblings. The Goode family were having the times of their lives, with a bit of a bumpy road like the family in the movie.

The day life changed

It was March 29, 2022. “Our day started like every other day with school, work, dinner with the family with kids playing before showers and bedtime,” Preston said.

Gabriel, 5–years–old at the time, went to bed first while his brother and sister were still watching tv. “Gabriel wasn’t in bed long before he started crying in pain that his tummy and shoulder were hurting,” Preston said.

Preston took Gabriel to an urgent care hospital and within minutes was seen by the doctor. Gabriel’s left shoulder seemed normal, but the doctor said his belly was rock hard. They took him for a CT scan of his abdomen.

The doctor entered the room and advised Preston to call Brittany saying there was a change of plans, air–medical was on the way. A neighbor watched the other two children so Brittany could go to the urgent care.

An 11–centimeter tumor was discovered on Gabriel’s liver. It ruptured causing internal bleeding and Gabriel was going into Hemorrhagic Shock.

Gabriel was air–lifted to UTMB in Galveston for emergency surgery. His parents were unable to ride in the helicopter, so they drove to Galveston. In route to the hospital, Gabriel received 18 blood transfusions.

Surgery lasted five hours with constant transfusions. Surgeons resected a majority of the tumor and a large portion of Gabriel’s liver. With the risk of further complications including possible death, the surgeons couldn’t remove all of the tumor.

Gabriel underwent another surgery March 31, 2022, to remove the remaining portion of the tumor. Surgery lasted four hours, but ultimately the surgeons and specialists determined the risk was too great to continue. They cleaned up the area and Gabriel remained in a medically induced coma.

On April 1, 2022, Gabriel was transferred to Texas Children’s Hospital in downtown Houston on the Kangaroo Crew Mobile Intensive Care Unit. He stayed in a medically induced coma until April 4.

News no parent should hear

On April 11, 2022, Gabriel was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hepatoblastoma Liver Cancer. It is a rare type of cancer usually found in infants. The cancer is very infectious and has the potential to progressively worsen and spread.

“There is nothing in the world that can prepare you as a parent to be told your child has cancer,” Preston said. “Your body and mind are taken over by a mix of emotions, guilt, anger, fear and uncertainty.”

“My wife and I hope no parents ever have to hear the news that their child has been diagnosed with cancer,” Preston said. “We hope you never have to fight for their life to exist and live in fear that they won’t.”

Beginning treatment

From April 12, 2022, until October 2022, Gabriel underwent six rounds of chemotherapy and went into partial remission.

The next year was spent going to the hospital every couple of weeks for bloodwork and scans. In May 2023, Gabriel’s cancer markers started to fluctuate showing signs of cancer. For the next year Gabriel had weekly visits to the hospital for tests, scans, procedures, biopsies and bloodwork.

A PET scan, May 31, 2024, revealed a 2cm free floating tumor resting on Gabriel’s left kidney. Gabriel underwent another surgery June 21 to remove the tumor and conduct several biopsies. The biopsies confirmed a relapse.

Biopsies showed small cancer tumors spread throughout soft tissue in his chest, abdomen and on the walls of his blood vessels.

The Goode’s made the important decision for Brittany to resign as a dispatcher to be home with Gabriel once the cancer relapsed.

Gabriel began chemotherapy for a second time July 22, 2024. The treatment consisted of six cycles. Each cycle included five consecutive days of chemo, two days off, another day of treatment then 13 days off.

Santa answered Gabriel’s Christmas letter early ending chemo Nov. 27.

The life of Gabriel

Gabriel is a second grader at Navasota ISD’s High Point Elementary School. Due to a compromised immune system, Gabriel meets with a homebound teacher online and in person a few days a week. He has online interaction with a tutor daily.

Preston said Gabriel is happy overall and said he’s glad chemotherapy is done for now. He enjoys playing with Pokémon, playing with his brother and occasionally enjoys playing with his sister.

Overwhelming support

“Gabriel’s cancer diagnosis has changed our life forever,” Preston said. “Our family is forever grateful for all the love, prayers, support both emotionally and financially, kind words, shoulders to cry on, people to listen, the help of our community, friends, families, strangers, organizations, childhood cancer organizations and donations.”

Preston and Brittany urge anyone battling childhood cancer to ask for help. Preston said, “There are numerous organizations with amazing people ready to provide help, support, prayers and guidance.”

Follow Gabriel’s journey on Facebook, follow “Fight The Goode Fight” https://www.facebook.com/share/15bx1qdgp1/?mibextid=wwXIfr. To donate to this family visit, https://gofund.me/144c17e6.