Thomas Pacheco is a bright and loving eight-year-old who was diagnosed on March 7, 2002 with a rare and aggressive cancer that has long-term survival rates of less than thirty percent.

On April 12, 2002, Thomas lost his right eye and eye socket to this cancer. The removal of his eye and socket was then followed by eight months of intense chemotherapy. These horrible courses of treatment were a devastating trial, but give Thomas the best hope for the future. Though Thomas's body will continue to be scanned every three months for the immediate future, we are thankful beyond words that today Thomas is officially considered to be in remission.

Since the beginning of this trial Thomas has been fully aware of his condition, and through all the horrors he has had to face, he has shown a courage and resilience not often found in anyone, much less a child of seven (Thomas's age when the cancer was discovered). He is truly a remarkable child and human being. This March 27, 2002 entry in Thomas's Journal, the day we told him that his eye would need to be removed, will give you a small idea of his incredible spirit.

That's the official medical term for Thomas's cancer. Sarcoma is a broad term encompassing cancers of the bone and connective tissues. A chondrosarcoma is sarcoma that is composed primarily of cartilage tissue, and is itself quite rare. A mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is an even rarer and aggressive variant of chondrosarcoma that is characterized by the presence of certain types of connective tissue cells that have yet to differentiate into specific types of tissue.

Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is rare to begin with, but more so in children, and it is virtually unheard of in the eye orbit. In the thirty years that records have been kept related to this cancer, maybe two to three dozen cases have been recorded ever, and never in a child as young as Thomas. His case is practically unique.

Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is one of the most monstrous cancers known. It can grow at an alarming rate, it is resistant to both radiation treatment and chemotherapy, it has a very high occurrence of metastasis (spreading to other parts of the body), and it has a history of remaining dormant for up to two decades and reappearing suddenly. Because of its tenacity and rarity, it is presently one of the deadliest cancers known. Long term survival rates are about twenty to thirty percent.

The lack of data on this cancer due to its rarity, its resistance to radiation and chemotherapy, and its tendency to recur and metastasize even after many years of dormancy make treatment options difficult in Thomas's case. If all the cancer cells are confined to the eye orbit, then removing Thomas's eye and all the tissues in the eye orbit would mean that Thomas could potentially be cured. It is for this glimmer of hope that Thomas's parents have made this difficult choice, but there is no question that Thomas has a difficult road ahead. Even after this heartbreaking surgery and months of chemotherapy, it can not be known for certain that the cancer is under control. Thomas faces regular scans of his body for the foreseeable future, a future that we pray will be long and full of life.

Well, maybe not all about Thomas, but enough that hopefully you'll get to know him a bit.

Favorite things to do: Run and exercise, play video games, play chess with my Dad, ride my bike, snow ski, read, visit the city (Manhattan), climb things (mostly trees).

Favorite books: The Hobbit, all of the Harry Potter books, The Secret of Terror Castle (Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators).

Favorite movie: Lord of the Rings ... definitely!

Things I'm good at: Math, running, playing chess, video games.

Favorite foods: Lobster with butter, burritos, Peach Snapple.

My three wishes: (1) To not have cancer; (2) To be able to do magic; (3) More allowance.

Last year when we first learned about Thomas's cancer, we built a web site to display and sell Thomas's artwork as a fundraising effort toward his medical expenses. Occasionally we are still asked if Thomas's artwork is available. It is. Funds raised from his artwork are now being channeled into the Art for Hope Foundation, our nonprofit effort to sell artwork to provide support to families of children with serious illnesses. Our initial intent was, as with Thomas's original site, to sell the artwork of the very children affected, and though this is a big part of our plan, we are pursuing other possibilities as well. The Art for Hope Foundation also provides the financial support to host and maintain Touch of Hope.

Click here to visit Thomas's artwork gallery. It is still online, we do plan to make more pictures available, and they are most certainly still for sale.