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OREGON TAYLOR MATHSON
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Devi Mathson holds her son,Taylor, as he plays with her iPhone at the family's home in La Grande on Friday afternoon.
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Taylor Mathson, 2, suffered a seizure in February and was given a grim prognosis. A second opinion, however, has given the Mathson family new hope.
• Democrats, schooloficials at odds over education budget Proposal
By Jonathan J. Cooper The Associated Press
By Cherise Kaechele, The Observer
You wouldn't know it by looking at 2-year-old Taylor Mathson,but one month ago he was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer called anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma in his brain While thefam.ily struggles with the reality ofit all, it has been offered a glimmer ofhope from a second medical opinion Taylor's big blue eyes are striking as he plays with his father, Jeromy Mathson, or sits on his mother's lap. He's just like many other children his age who like to play outside and eat hamburgers. However, he was dealt a huge blow Feb. 13,which began a very rough month for the Mathson family. "He woke up at 5 a.m. and had a seizure," said Devi Mathson, Taylor's mother."It freaked us out. We rushed him to the hospital." Doctors conducted a computed tomographytestofthe brain thatrevealed a mass, Devi said. Taylor was Life Flighted
to St. Luke's Boise Medical Center in Boise, Idaho, where he underwent several more tests on his brain and his entire body, including a spinal tap to determine if what caused the seizure was an infection or airborne. Doctors told the La Grande family that Taylor had one large mass in his brain and four small ones. At that point, they weren't sure whether the masses were malignant or benign. Surgeons operated to remove as much of the big mass as possible. "They took 90 percent of it out," Jeromy said."They wanted to take as much out without interfering with the brain."
The smaller masses and the 10 percent leftofthelarge mass were too close to certainparts ofthebrain to safely be operated on. All of this happened within four days, Devi pointed out. Taylor had his seizure on Friday, and by Monday he was released from the hospital after the brain operation. Tests were done on the sample of Taylor's mass, and the results came back that he had anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma, or high-grade glioma. Boise's St. Luke's hospital had only one SeeHope / Page 5A
SALEM — Education interests have mounted an unusually vocal challenge to the schools budget proposed by Democratic legislative leaders, saying the plan wouldlead to largerclasses and shorter school years. Legislative leaders are defending the plan, saying most school districts will do neither better nor worse than their current funding situation. They say their proposal isthebestthey can do without devastating other areas of the budget, including higher education. They note the state is facing the potential for $350 million in ''kicker" tax rebates and, for the first time, funding all-day kindergarten statewide Their plan an increase of 9 percent over current funding levels, is likely to come before SeeTussle / Page5A
Typically, schools get 49 percent of their funding in the first year of the biennium and 51 percent in the second. For the next budget, Democrats are offering a 50-50 split, which would leave schools with higher costs but stagnant revenue in the 2016-17 school year.
TRAVEL MANAGEMENT PLAN
Regional ('
forester puts
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TMP on hold
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• Direction to Blue Inside scuffle over Mountain forests is Adecorations on tofocuson forest Pendleton's plan revision Jackson
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Sundown statue has The Observer led a couple PORTLAND — After three to petition years simmering on the back the city burner, the heat has been councilfor turned off of the Wallowaits approval Whitman National Forest's to continue travel management plan. dressing up Jim Pena, the Pacific the bronze. N orthwest's regional forester, Page 5A senta lettertotheforest supervisors explaining his decision. "After speaking with Forest Supervisors Steve Beverlin of the Malheur SeePlan / Page5A By Katy Nesbitt
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'IILIF"' Tim Mustoe/TheObserver photos
Taylor enjoys building with blocks with his father, Jeromy, on the floor. Taylor loves to play inside and outside despite the fact that he has a rare and aggressive cancer.
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Issue 35 2 sections, 18 pages La Grande, Oregon
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