Just before his third birthday in September 2024, Filip Stevic began to gag on mucus every morning after waking up.

“He would feel bad, then take a nap, and would feel fine for the rest of the day,” says his mother, Sunny.

Filip soon developed difficulty balancing. He also complained of worsening headaches and his eyes began crossing. After taking trips to doctors and an urgent care facility, Filip, along with his mother and father, Milos, ended up in the emergency room at a local hospital, where a CT scan identified a large tumor inside his brain.

Getting the Full Diagnosis

Filip, with his mother, Sunny, and father, Milos

An ambulance rushed Filip to Johns Hopkins Children’s Center for further treatment. There, he and his family met Alan Cohen, M.D., director of pediatric neurosurgery, and a team of specialists at the Pediatric Brain Tumor Center. An MRI confirmed that the tumor — which Cohen says was “giant,” about 6 centimeters in diameter — was located in the cerebellum at the base of the brain. The cerebellum controls balance, movement and other important motor functions. The tumor was causing hydrocephalus, a backup of fluid on the brain.

“The tumor, along with the hydrocephalus, was causing compression on Filip’s brain and brain stem, and it was creating severe increased pressure inside of his skull,” says Cohen.

The tumor was life-threatening, and it needed to be removed right away.

A Nine-Hour Surgery

Cohen and his team performed surgery on Filip for nine hours, leaving no trace of the tumor. A few more hours after that, Filip was awake, and playing and walking again. After the surgery, the mass was diagnosed as a pilocytic astrocytoma.

Categorized as a grade 1 brain tumor on the World Health Organization scale, pilocytic astrocytoma has the most favorable prognosis. In Filip’s case, however, due to the tumor’s location and size, the situation was very serious before the surgery.

“This was a very large tumor and its impact would have been devastating if untreated,” says Cohen.

Filip’s Recovery

Filip with Dr. Alan Cohen

Filip left the hospital after 12 days and was given a treatment plan with regular physical therapy appointments and checkups at Johns Hopkins. Cohen says he doesn’t expect the tumor to return, and he believes Filip will be able to live a normal life.

Filip was able to return to day care. The only reminder of the surgery is the scar on the back of his head, covered by hair as it grows back. Sunny says Filip also returned to running and playing with his cars and monster trucks, and is 99% back to himself — a “happy, goofy kid.”

“It was a very stressful time,” she says. “But he’s our superhero. He went through this like a champ. We’re proud of him, and we’re going to make sure he is proud of what he overcame.”