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56 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, November 10, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 9, 2004 Dominic Luciano, 12, kids around with friends and his brother on a recent afternoon. Seated are, from left, Mychal De-Soto, 12, Matthew DeSoto, also 12, and Demitri Luciano, 8. Dominic is fighting a brain tumor. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven The comeback kid Medford’s Dominic Luciano, 12, is eager to resume school and karate after surgery for a brain tumor By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune As bright as he may be, there are some words that 12-year-old Dominic Luciano simply can’t comprehend. "Quit" and "complain" are two of them. As a toddler, he refused to let cerebral palsy dictate who he would become by enduring long hours of therapy. He began kindergarten at age 4 and went on to become a straight-A student, talented pianist and karate devotee on his way to a black belt. Diagnosed with a brain tumor last month, the Medford boy found himself facing his toughest battle yet. Just one day after ongoing migraine headaches resulted in a seizure the night of Sept. 22, the Grace Christian seventh-grader and his family received word from a pediatric neurologist that he should be taken immediately to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland. An MRI had revealed a meningioma tumor attached to a portion of his brain. Advertisement "We got up there and were told by a neurosurgeon that it was located on the sagittal sinus," recalled Dominic’s father, Michael Luciano. "It didn’t appear from the MRI that the tumor had blocked the vein, but they told us they can’t repair that section of the sagittal sinus because it could result in brain damage or stroke or death or who knows what." A slow-growing type of brain tumor, meningioma is found primarily in adults age 40 to 60 and grows around the brain and spinal cord. While most meningiomas are benign, the tumors vary in symptoms and treatment options depend on location and size. Doctors instructed Luciano, who is raising Dominic and 8-year-old brother Demitri alone, to go home and wait for tests to be scheduled. "Of course we were devastated," said Luciano. "Well, we left the hospital and got about 80 miles south of Portland. � I was up all night and I just decided that going home to wait just wasn’t good enough," Luciano said. "I called and said I’m not going to wait for you to decide what to do to take care of this. We’re coming back to deal with this right now." Father and son returned at 6:30 a.m. the following day. While Dominic’s father made calls to inform friends and family of the pending surgery, fellow students held a special assembly to pray for the boy. Meanwhile Dominic experimented with hooking and unhooking hospital equipment and ordered nurses to shave his head. "He had beautiful long thick brown hair," said his father. "They were shaving a part of his hair for surgery and he said, ‘Naw, just buzz-cut me.’ " The following morning, only days after the seizure that sent him to the hospital, the young boy underwent surgery to remove 90 percent of the 2-inch tumor. "It all happened so fast," said Luciano. "People everywhere were praying for my son. � It’s a real test of your faith; in a moment like this you find out what you’re made of." A day later, Dominic was discharged and sent home to recover — both because of escalating medical bills and his desire to "just go home," said Luciano. In the month since his surgery, a focus on recovery, long naps and MRIs has replaced everyday life. Already eager to get back to school, he began half-days this week. "I want to get back and I want to catch up on school," Dominic said. "I don’t want to fall behind. This thing has kind of interrupted my life and stuff and so I just want things to go back. I want to start feeling better and getting back to how things were. " Dominic hopes he’ll soon be back on track to earning his black belt and hanging out with friends. His karate instructor, Chip Wright of Medford, said he had little doubt Dominic would overcome the fight before him. "Dominic is a great young guy who has overcome quite a few different things in his young life but he always has a smile on his face," said Wright. "He’s the kind of kid who just rolls with the punches, but he definitely has a strong side to him and that’s what’s coming out right now." Ten percent remains of Dominic’s tumor, which likely is benign, said Luciano. Doctors will monitor its growth at regular intervals. "We’ll beat this thing," said Luciano. "I can’t see there being any other option. Dominic has learned that sometimes in life you go down a side road and get a little delayed — then you get back up and get back on the highway and keep on going." A fund has been set up to help Dominic’s family at the Stevens Street Bank of America. Donations can be made to the Dominic Luciano Medical Fund, c/o Bank of America, 790 Stevens, Medford, OR 97504. The account number is 004540967803. Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford.E-mail her at [email protected]. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities