At just 17 years old, Romeo’s first symptoms began on December 30—vomiting blood, blood in his urine, frequent nosebleeds, shortness of breath, extreme weakness, and a rapid 23-pound weight loss in just six days.

His family went to the ER twice and were told he was fine. He was given medication and sent home.

But within just two weeks, everything changed.

After missing signs on X-rays and blood work, and after continuing to push for answers, Romeo was airlifted to Children’s Mercy in Kansas City. On January 15th, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic germ cell cancer (choriocarcinoma), which had already spread from his testes to his abdomen, lungs, and brain.

Romeo is the oldest of four boys, with three younger brothers ages 11, 9, and 3. The diagnosis brought unimaginable devastation to their family. They spent 45 days in the PICU as Romeo went into complete organ failure. During that time, his family was told to prepare for the worst.

It was the most devastating experience they have ever faced. By the grace of God, Romeo does not remember most of it.

Today, Romeo has completed four rounds of chemotherapy. His tumor markers are decreasing, which is an incredible blessing—but his fight is not over. The family continues to travel back and forth to Kansas City as his oncology team guides his care. He is still undergoing scans, infusions, and therapies, and they are preparing for a major surgery to remove the remaining tumors.

Despite everything, Romeo continues to show incredible strength and resilience.