PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Landen Palatino never had any health concerns until just weeks before his 8th birthday.

 

While in school on Dec. 1 he had a seizure. Fifteen days later, it happened again. The day he turned 8, on Dec. 30, he had another one. 

 

"He was completely healthy, never had any health issues. He had one seizure when he was 1 year old from a high fever and that's the only issue he's ever had," his father, James Losaw said. 

 

"Since Dec. 1, we begged for an MRI, and they initially didn't want to give him any imaging and diagnosed him with epilepsy. After the third seizure, we demanded an MRI and they finally gave him one and that's when they found the tumor."

 

The magnetic resonance imaging test found the tumor in the "upper left portion of his brain" and he was immediately transferred from Baystate Medical Center to Connecticut Children's Medical Center for emergency surgery. The tumor was tested and results analyzed by separate doctors all agreeing that Landen has Grade 4 glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive types of cancer out there.

 

"It's a brain cancer that is all different kinds of cells that spread like fingers through your brain. It just grows and from what I understand is highly resistant to treatments, and if there is a treatment that works on one type of cancer cell, then it changes to another cell and latches onto whatever healthy tissue it can and multiplies," Losaw, a Pittsfield Police K9 officer, said.

 

Since that day, Landen has been receiving radiation treatment and recovering from the surgery five days a week in Hartford, Conn. 

 

"I go to treatment in the morning. I work at night. Sometimes I'll have a raid in the morning and I'll go from the raid and drive down to Hartford," Losaw said.

 

Next week, Landen's treatment will be over, and Losaw and Landen's mother, Tina Palatino, will have to weigh the next options. 

 

"He has an MGMT mutation which doesn't allow for conventional treatment so we're going to be going to clinical trials after this, which are based all over the country," Losaw said.

 

Some of those trials aren't covered by insurance while others can be out of state and require days off and lodging.

 

That's where friends, family, and the community are stepping up. Immediately after hearing the grim news, friends and family established a bank account at Greylock Federal Credit Union and are making donations and holding fundraisers so that Landen can afford whatever he needs to battle the cancer.

 

"That's going into an account for Landen for anything he needs — uninsured medical costs, travel expenses," Losaw said. "We're looking into some of the treatments now that have positive effects on this type of cancer but some of them aren't covered by insurance."

 

Lyndsay Cimini is a dispatcher with the Police Department. When she heard the news, as a friend, she joined the effort. Cimini is organizing a 5K road race — dubbed the Super Landen 'Stache Dash — to raise money for him.

 

"I'm trying to run things for him. We have a group of people we try to bounce ideas off of. We're all co-workers, friends, family," Cimini said. 

 

She's already gotten city permission for the June 12 event at Burbank Park. The organizers are giving it a "mustaches theme," which she said makes it a little more fun and unique for participants.

 

"It's just a fun theme for a race. The 'stache dash. We'll have mustaches, tattoos and fake mustaches for people to wear," Cimini said. "Landen loves superheroes so it'll be a super hero, mustaches-themed race."

 

Cimini said the race is along the same course of the YMCA's Tie Dye Dash. It'll start at the pavilion, go down Lakeway Drive to Peck's Road, over Valentine, and circle around the parking lots of the boat launch before ending back at the pavilion. There will also be a children's obstacle race.

 

The first 100 racers registered will receive a free T-shirt; registration is $25 in advance online and $30 the day of. The proceeds from that and sponsorship efforts will go to help Landen in the next stage of his fight.

 

"We're accepting sponsors. We have three different levels of sponsorship: $250 or more, we're going to put on our T-shirt; silver sponsor is $100 and we advertise on our Facebook page; and any other donation we still give recognition," Cimini said. 

 

The race will be the second local fundraiser for the family. On Feb. 26, Relay For Life allowed the group to piggyback on a fundraiser at the Freight Yard Pub in North Adams. And Cimini says people have been making donations to the bank account (Super Landen's Journey) at GFCU.

 

For Losaw, that support means a lot.

 

"In my line of work, I see the worst of the worst every day. It's so negative. All of the support I've seen has kind of like restored my faith in humanity, I guess you could say. There is not even enough words to explain the amount of support and positive thoughts and feelings from everybody," Losaw said. "Complete strangers, people I don't even know, have been reaching out. It's amazing."

 

Losaw doesn't know which trials Landen will be accepted to participate in. But, they promise to keep fighting.

 

"Something good is going to happen. We are going to get into one of the trials. There is no other option. He's going to beat it and he has the same attitude. He knows he's going to win," Losaw said. 

 

"Losing is not an option."