Child Facing Brain Surgery, Cancer, Vision Loss In Union County As Family Asks For Help

WESTFIELD, NJ – A three-year-old child is facing a rare diagnosis that is forcing him to have brain surgery as he continues a separate fight to save his vision.

On Tuesday, Buzz and his Westfield family will be facing their latest hurdle with the help of a new neurosurgeon team. He has been diagnosed with Moyamoya disease, a condition where the main artery to the brain continues to shrink.

Due to his age, the condition comes in a rare, aggressive form that will force him to need brain surgery sooner than normal patients, according to his dad, Dan. Moyamoya can give children pediatric strokes, so they will need to remove a piece of artery from another part of his body and place it over the affected area in his brain to create a "new highway" of blood flow.

This procedure likely will have to be repeated down the road because his three-year-old artery will not be equipped to sustain his brain's blood in the future.

This all comes at the same time as doctors are working to shrink tumors in Buzz’s left eye, working to save it after he was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) last fall. It was a week before Thanksgiving 2024 when Amanda Blackman and her husband Dan (who own Westfield Pest Control) got the news that NF1 was leaving tumors on their son’s optic nerves, known as pathway gliomas. At the time, there was still hope through chemotherapy to defeat this type of brain cancer and save what was remaining of Buzz’s deteriorating vision.

Patch first shared Buzz's story in January, when he was a few months into being treated at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and undergoing weekly chemo treatments for at least a year, hoping to save his vision. Now, his dad Dan says there's no longer any hope for the right eye, and they have moved on to fighting for the left.

"We have learned endless lessons these past 10 months," his mom, Amanda, says. "A quote...that really changed my perspective was 'God doesn't call the ones who are qualified, he qualifies the one he calls'...We stay present and grateful because at any moment, your life can be turned upside down."

Buzz, the family says, is their "personal superhero" who is a "typical boy who loves to get dirty, play and laugh outdoors chasing his dog, riding in his truck...and playing with his brother laughing and asking to go to the park."

The family knows they have a long road ahead and are asking the Westfield community to rally behind them and join their fight. "This journey comes with significant financial challenges. Between travel costs, medical bills, and daily expenses, we are facing one of the most challenging hardships ahead of us."

Blackman set up a GoFundMe in hopes the community would support her family "during this unfortunate and devastating chapter in our lives." Donations will cover medical and travel expenses, and support the family's basic needs.

"Another quote I love is 'nothing is good or bad, thinking makes it so,'" his mom adds. "Buzz truly makes the most of all his days...truly nothing slows him down and we all aspire to be more like him."

For more information or to donate visit gofundme.com/f/save-buzzys-vision.