BIDDEFORD — Brock Joseph Chadwick just didn’t feel well.

It was about a month ago when Brock, 6-years-old and full of life, was taken to a clinic for his symptoms.

“They brought him in as a check up thinking he had the flu,” said his uncle, Joseph Carson.

Only it wasn’t.

Based on his symptoms, Carson said, the doctors thought it necessary for Brock to undergo a CAT scan to identify the source of his issues, and what they found changed his — and his family’s lives — forever.

An initial CAT scan showed what was believed to be a large tumor on the front of Brock’s brain. An MRI done at Maine Medical Center in Portland only confirmed the tragic news.

A surgery to remove the tumors was ordered, with an unknown diagnosis still looming on the horizon.

“They weren’t comfortable making any sort of diagnosis until they operated,” Carson said. “(The tumor) was causing swelling in his head and it was affecting his behavior. They were concerned about that.”

Doctors removed the tumors about two weeks ago, in what Carson said was a successful procedure, but it’s not the end of the road for young Brock.

The young child from Biddeford was diagnosed with high-grade glioma, a form of cancer that occurs on the glial cells — those that protect and insulate nerve cells — of the brain and spine.

The aggressive cancer can occur in children of all ages, and has the ability to metastasize — or spread — to other parts of the brain or spinal cord, making it difficult to treat.

Common symptoms include persistent headaches, nausea and vomiting and the onset of seizures, according to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, an organization that raises money for childhood cancer research.

Brock is home now, and Carson said he’s doing OK, but the surgery is just the beginning of a very long road for the boy whose smile brings happiness to those around him.

Brock is preparing for treatment at Boston Children’s Hospital, where he will undergo six weeks of aggressive, combined chemotherapy and radiation, and his family is in the process of raising money to help offset his medical bills.

Carson has set up a page on crowdfunding website YouCaring for his sister Brittney Horton, Brock’s mother, who asked Carson to speak on her behalf. Called “Fight With Brock,” the page aims to raise $15,000 for Brock’s family. 

“No mother or child deserves this, and they could use all the help they can get,” Carson wrote on the fundraiser’s page. “This is going to be a very long road, and the last thing that should be on the minds of the family should be financials.”

As of Monday evening, 170 donors had raised $10,800, more than two-thirds of the fundraiser’s goal.

“Currently, you’d look at him and not even realize he’s as sick as he is, except that he’s got a large scar across his head,” Carson said Thursday. “He’s acting like any six-year-old would.”

While the family is being careful about what it says publicly, Carson said Brock’s relatives also feel responsible for educating people about high-grade glioma, since — although a childhood cancer — it sees few diagnoses each year.

About 150 children are diagnosed each year, according to Toronto-based The Hospital for Sick Children.

“We’re being as protective as we all can about him, but we also want his story to be known. The kid’s got a fight ahead of him. I think a little bit of awareness is due here based on that,” Carson said. “Hopefully by doing this, aside from my nephew, we can raise awareness of this because it is so rare.”

But the support from the public, Carson said, has been overwhelming.

“The support has been amazing,” he said. “It’s nice the way the communities have come together and really fought with Brock. I think that’s why we named it, ‘Fight With Brock:’ Don’t fight for him; fight with him.”

For those who want to fight alongside Brock, donations can be made to the cause online at www.youcaring.com and searching, “Fight With Brock: Go Gold.”

It’s the start of an uphill battle for Brock, but one his family is confident he can win.

“He’s a good kid. He’s a fighter,” Carson said. “We’re hoping for the best for him and we’re just going to keep pushing forward.”

— Staff Writer Alan Bennett can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or [email protected].