VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) — A Valdosta mother says her 13-year-old son is undergoing treatment for a rare and terminal brain tumor after symptoms appeared suddenly in July.

Sabrina Daniels said her son, Emery Daniels, was diagnosed with DIPG on July 13, 2026. DIPG is a cancerous tumor that grows in the pons, located at the back of the brain where the brainstem is, according to Daniels. She said that the area of the brain controls autonomous functions, including breathing, swallowing, and heartbeat.

ABOUT DPIG:

Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) is a rare, highly aggressive, and fast-growing brain tumor that forms in the pons, a deep part of the brainstem that controls vital body functions like breathing, swallowing, and heart rate. https://www.cancer.gov/types/brain/patient/diffuse-intrinsic-pontine-glioma

In the United States, about 300 children are diagnosed with DIPG each year. DIPG primarily affects children between the ages of 5 and 10 years, but can occur in younger children and teens. DIPG is rare in adults.

Symptoms progressed within days

Daniels said she first noticed her son choking on food about a week before he went to the emergency room. She said she initially believed he was eating too quickly.

“It was more of a teenage boy, slow down when you eat, kind of like take your time, there’s no rush,” Daniels said.

The choking continued for about four days, Daniels said. She said she then noticed Emery stumbling and his speech becoming slurred over the following weekend.

On a Monday morning, Daniels took Emery to a pediatrics office in Valdosta, then to the emergency room at South Georgia Medical Center. He was transferred to Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, where an MRI showed the tumor had been growing rapidly, Daniels said.

“We didn’t really have any warning,” Daniels said. “I wasn’t certain that something was even really off until I noticed all the stumbling.”

Tumor grew 33% in 10 days

Daniels said doctors performed a second MRI 10 days after the first, which showed the tumor had grown by 33%. During that time, she said Emery stopped walking and talking, lost control of his limbs, and temporarily lost control of his ocular muscles, causing his eyes to move involuntarily.

Daniels said Emery’s treatment was expedited for radiation, which she said is the only standard of care for the tumor. Doctors gave him a higher dose of radiation over a shorter period of time than the standard 30-day, lower-dose treatment most children receive, according to Daniels, because of how quickly his tumor had progressed.

“It actually did help,” Daniels said.

Mother describes son’s recovery and communication

Daniels said Emery’s eye control improved within about three days of starting radiation, and he was able to focus his eyes on her face. She said he can still say the word “mom,” though he cannot say anything else.

“It’s really special that out of everything that he can say, it’s still like, he still makes the effort to say mom,” Daniels said, “mostly when he’s trying to get my attention.”

Daniels said she is Emery’s sole caretaker and is with him around the clock. The family underwent another MRI on Thursday, and Daniels said they are waiting on results.

Life before diagnosis

Daniels said Emery had been a role model for his three younger siblings — River, 12; Duren, 5; and Calder, 3. She described him as responsible, mature, intelligent, funny, kind, and empathetic.

Daniels said Emery had been a member of the Junior Beta Club since second grade and had been accepted into the Valdosta Middle School STEM Academy, despite the family not being zoned for it. She said he plays trombone in the school band, enjoys robotics and gaming, and has wanted to be an engineer since he was 3 years old.

Family receiving community support

Daniels said DIPG is terminal with a 0% survival rate. She said she tries not to think too far ahead and instead focuses on the time she has with her son.

“I know there’s a lot of parents who are robbed of that,” Daniels said. “It does mean a lot to me that I get to be here with him.”

Daniels said she is a single mother who works, and the family has received community support, including help with housing. She said a GoFundMe has been set up under Emery Daniels’ name.

https://gofund.me/58b043317

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