AMMON — Greyson Barrus of Ammon is a fun kid. At 3 years old, he loves playing outdoors. He loves getting muddy. His mom says he really loves riding dirt bikes with his family. He’s a straightforward kind of guy who isn’t afraid to say what he thinks.
“He’s extremely goofy,” says Greyson’s mom Sativa Bulletts. “He’ll tell you how it is. He’s very upfront for his age.”
Like most kids his age, Greyson loves painting and coloring, and his mom says he loves new shoes more than the average kid.
“He must get that from me,” she says.
Greyson has had a bit of a rough go in his first three years of life. His father, Dawson Barrus, passed away when Greyson was a newborn. He has also had to endure several surgeries on his ears and tonsils.
Recently, Greyson’s mom and his stepdad, Kaleb Jackson, became concerned that there was something more going on with their son. He started having unusual behavioral issues and pain in his forehead.
After a CT scan on March 18, doctors concluded that Greyson’s pain was caused by an arachnoid cyst on his brain.
He needs to have the cyst removed and is scheduled for surgery in Seattle on April 14.
Bulletts says arachnoid cysts are not uncommon, but that the size of Greyson’s makes removal urgent. She says that the “danger zone” for this type of cyst in an adult is 3 centimeters, and Greyson’s has already grown to 4 centimeters on all sides, which means surgery needs to happen soon.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, “untreated, arachnoid cysts may cause permanent severe neurological damage when progressive expansion of the cyst(s) or bleeding into the cyst injures the brain or spinal cord.”
Bulletts says Greyson’s doctors in Seattle will perform an MRI prior to surgery to verify it is indeed an arachnoid cyst and not a cancerous tumor, which would be a more involved surgery and a longer recovery.
“We’re just hoping that it is a cyst and not a tumor,” Bulletts says. “It’s very stressful, we haven’t had much time to even process it. We’re just trying to focus on him and getting him the help he needs.”
If all goes according to plan, Greyson will be in the ICU for two days and will need to remain in Seattle for at least another few days, until a follow-up appointment. Doctors want to be sure his body can handle the elevation changes of the trip back home before the family returns to Idaho.
As the family’s sole income provider, Jackson will continue to work his job as an ironworker with Elite Steel in Idaho Falls until it’s time for the family to head to Seattle on April 10th.
Those who would like to help the family financially as they prepare for medical and travel bills can donate to a GoFundMe campaign organized by the family.
