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Family fighting for teen's recovery

Hometown News: Deland-Lake Helen, Deleon Springs, Pierson - 6/8/2018

Family, friends and an online community of more than 2,500 members are rallying around a DeLand 13-year-old.

Despite insurance, the family's retirement and other savings have been wiped out in their fight for Josh Bachrouche's recovery. A silent auction is set for 5-7 p.m. Friday, June 27, at Sparrows Grill, 300 Spalding Way, DeLand. The auction also will run online, said organizer and family friend Christy Jefferson of Deltona.

"It is an art auction and miscellany. Many have donated art, but we also have several other items, including a sunset cruise in a 37-foot sailboat on Lake Michigan," Ms. Jefferson said.

Nothing can prepare a parent for the words "tumor," "oncologist," or "life-threatening surgeries."

"You think you can understand what this is like, but until it is your kid ? you don't know how heartbreaking it feels," Kim Bachrouche said in her online updates to the Facebook community known as Josh's Journey.

As a parent, you notice everything about your child. When Ms. Bachrouche noticed her son, Josh, had a shoulder blade sticking out slightly, she did what any good mom would do. She pointed it out to the pediatrician.

At first, they were told not to worry about what was probably a harmless birth defect. As it became more pronounced and started causing pain when Josh tried to lay flat on his back, the doctor referred the family to an orthopaedic doctor to check for scoliosis.

After an initial chest X-ray, the orthopaedic doctor explained the spinal curvature wasn't something Josh was born with, but was caused by a large tumor in the child's chest. As the tumor grew, it began pushing back against the spine. The tumor grew to 13 cm and weighed nearly two pounds before it was removed the first week of May, causing a 85 percent curvature in Josh's spine.

Despite risks of paralysis and death, the surgery was essential for survival.

Weighing only 70 pounds, Josh's torso will not grow any more. The surgery to remove the tumor also sacrificed the growth plates. The neurosurgeons could not get the entire tumor, because it wrapped around the spinal cord. A second surgery just one week later on May 11 fused metal rods to the spine in efforts to straighten it.

The first surgery alone left the family with an $8,000 bill after insurance. So far, $3,000 has been raised toward that goal, but the second surgery also left them with uncovered expenses.

At home now, extensive physical and rehabilitative therapy, special equipment, and so much love and support are needed to help with recovery. The mental toll it can take, along with the physical, will be exhausting and expensive.

"He can walk short distances, very slowly, but needs a special chair, and there are so many more expenses to come," Ms. Jefferson said, adding DeLand businesses and school friends have also been raising funds for the family. Visit pay-pal.me/pools/c/81zjwIebqZ to make a direct donation to help Josh.