North Huntingdon boy battles cancer, community rallies behind him

When Casey Watson took her then-13-year-old son to Forbes Hospital’s emergency room in October, she never imagined some of her worst fears would be coming true.

On Oct. 28, Tristan Watson, a Norwin student, was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a cancer that occurs in and around bones. Doctors found a 26-centimeter tumor on his right femur. He had been complaining of leg pain for about two weeks, but it was initially attributed to growing pains or a pulled muscle from playing soccer.

“As a mom, I just went into survival mode and I asked a thousand questions. I did probably way too much of my own research. Everything happened so fast that we didn’t really have time to sit down and digest it,” said Casey Watson, 37, adding that the thought of cancer crept into her mind the night before the hospital visit.

Following his diagnosis, Tristan went back several times for tests to confirm the cancer had not spread and to meet with an oncology team that would map his 14 chemotherapy treatments. The first seven would occur prior to a surgery that would replace his femur and part of his hip with a prosthetic bone.

Tests showed it had not spread.

“… I felt I was able to take a little bit of a deep breath, because now he has a little bit of a fighting chance and we’re not going to lose him,” his mother said. “Because that’s obviously your first thought as a parent: ‘What if they don’t make it?’ ”

The chemo, which started Nov. 12 at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in Lawrenceville, consisted of two days in the hospital followed by five days of in-patient treatment.

“The first day we were in the hospital, I was scared, and then I was afraid for a few days,” said Tristan, now 14. “But then we started chemo, and I was like this isn’t actually terrible. You just feel crappy for a couple days, and then you feel better.”

On March 25, Tristan went to UPMC Shadyside for his surgery.

For three hours, Casey and her husband, Bill, sat in the waiting room, answering text messages and playing online Scrabble. Bill Watson, 48, was allowed in the waiting room only with permission from his son’s surgeon because of coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

“I was ready for it to be over with,” Casey Watson said. “I was ready for them to get the cancer out of his body completely.”

Finally, doctors told the parents their son’s surgery went well. They were able to take the entire bone without it splintering, a worry doctors had before the surgery.

The next day, Tristan’s surgeon had him walk 40 feet.

Tristan spent the next three days working with a physical therapist on things like walking up stairs and getting in and out of the bathtub. He was discharged March 28.

Tristan returned to children’s hospital for his final seven chemo treatments, which he completed June 30. Nurses, ringing bells and clappers, sent him off with a cheer. A similar scene greeted him at his North Huntingdon home, with neighbors holding posters and chanting his name.

A sign reading “You did it” with black, gold and yellow balloons and stars was displayed in front of their home.

Community support

Yellow ribbons are scattered around the Watsons’ North Huntingdon yard, remnants of the welcome home celebration. Community members have supported the family over the past nine months, many of them receiving updates from the Facebook group Team Tristan, which Casey Watson created after his diagnosis.

But she never expected the page to grow to a community of more than 1,000 people, all rooting for Tristan and showing support by purchasing bracelets and T-shirts, reading “I have a bone to pick with cancer” — initiatives started by neighbors and teachers. Norwin baseball players wore yellow ribbons on their sleeves during a June game.

“It made us as a family feel good that we had so many people that were rallying behind him,” Casey Watson said. “They were just pulling for him and wanting him to get better, and I think it kept us going. There are times it was exhausting, just emotionally exhausting.”

Now, Tristan is settling into his new normal, spending his days resting, watching television, swimming and playing “Mario Kart” on his Nintendo Switch with his 10-year-old sister, Gabby. A physical therapist comes to his house weekly.

Despite not being able to finish eighth grade with his friends, he is looking forward to starting a new chapter at Norwin High School as a freshman.

“The only thing that made it easier is he wasn’t missing anything,” Casey Watson said, as most parties, celebrations and special events were canceled after Gov. Tom Wolf ordered schools to close in April. “He wasn’t missing soccer because none of the kids were playing. He wasn’t missing school because everyone was at home.”

Tristan will go back to the hospital July 27 for more tests to determine whether he is cancer free. There is a 1-in-5 chance the cancer could return.

After that, he will return for the occasional scan and to lengthen his prosthetic as he grows, a process that is done with a magnet.

“I’m superstitious, so my ribbon will be up until we know with 100% certainty that he is cancer free,” his mother said.