Boy's Strep Turns Into Persistent Sinus Issues After Weeks

Alyssa Pace thought her seven-year-old son had a simple case of strep throat. The illness started in March 2026 when Boston and his brothers all developed scratchy throats. This common infection is caused by Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria and usually clears up quickly in school-aged children. It brings on fever, sore throats, and painful swallowing. Pace lives in Louisiana and noted that her son had zero health issues before he got sick. She expected the symptoms to vanish in a few days.

But weeks passed and Boston did not improve while his brothers recovered. By late May, he was vomiting and complaining of severe headaches. He still felt terrible at the end of the month. Pace wondered if he had caught strep throat again. When she took him back to the doctor for testing, the results came back negative for strep. On her TikTok channel, she shared that medical staff insisted a virus draining his sinuses was the culprit. They blamed the headache and facial pain on this viral issue along with nausea and vomiting.

'The problem was that Boston's vomiting and headaches became even more frequent as the weeks went by,' Pace said in an interview. 'The symptoms did not last too long each day, but his energy also started to decrease over time.' By early June, doctors suggested the cause might be heat related because he played baseball under the summer sun. They told her this was likely a viral reaction. Despite keeping him hydrated and staying inside as much as possible, the pain persisted.

On June 14, Pace rushed Boston into the emergency room. Doctors ordered a CT scan of his brain immediately. The images revealed a mass right there on his brain. 'The doctor came in and told me there was something on the CT and it was on Boston's brain,' Pace recalled with shock. She admitted she did not understand the severity of the situation at that moment. Medical experts suspected diffuse midline glioma, or DMG. This condition was formerly known as DIPG. It is an extremely aggressive brain tumor growing within central nervous system structures like the brainstem and thalamus.

The family received a referral to St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. There, doctors surgically placed a shunt in Boston's brain to drain excess cerebrospinal fluid. They also performed a biopsy to confirm it was indeed DMG. Fewer than 500 Americans are diagnosed with this specific type of tumor every year. It accounts for one in five pediatric brain tumors overall. Most patients receive the diagnosis between ages five and ten, which fits Boston perfectly.

The symptoms often start subtle enough that families miss them at first. They include headaches, nausea, back pain, speech issues, balance problems, hearing difficulties, and behavioral changes. Boston has now undergone six rounds of radiation therapy. His doctors are searching for clinical trials to help him fight the disease. He has been given less than a year to live based on current statistics. Patients generally only survive less than a year after diagnosis. The American Brain Tumor Association states that 99 percent of patients with DMG die within five years.

This grim reality stems from how these tumors wrap around critical structures in the brain, making them inoperable. Surgery is often not an option because cutting into those areas would cause massive damage. 'Boston has been so brave and strong during this entire process,' Pace told Newsweek about her son's struggle. The family was suddenly faced with the reality that their little boy might only have months left. They are raising money for medical expenses via GoFundMe to cover costs not covered by insurance.

Pace described watching her son undergo treatment as a true nightmare. She emphasized his courage throughout this harrowing journey. The family stands together facing limited time and uncertain outcomes while seeking every possible avenue for hope. The facts remain stark: the tumor is aggressive, few treatments exist beyond radiation, and survival rates are incredibly low for children in Boston's position.

I hate seeing him go through this, yet his strength has been so inspiring, she said. This tumor type is terminal, meaning his life expectancy sits below one year right now. Still, our hope remains unbroken despite the grim odds facing Boston. We hold fast to the belief that God will turn things around for him and many others battling this same diagnosis. Our request goes out to everyone to stand in agreement with us through prayer while bringing awareness to this specific kind of brain tumor. Pace also posted on Facebook recently, noting that doctors at St Jude Children's Research Hospital are seeking clinical trials where he might qualify. The family is currently raising money for his medical expenses using GoFundMe to cover these heavy costs.