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EDEN, Weber County — When Britta Peterson watched her 16-year-old son Alden compete at the district track-and-field finals on May 2, she felt a sense of pride and gratitude for what she was experiencing. After all, seeing her son excel in athletics wasn't even a consideration nearly three years ago when Alden was diagnosed with brain cancer.
Alden, who in August 2021 was a seventh grader at Snowcrest Jr. High, had a persistent headache and was showing signs of neurological decline. After a CT scan, it was discovered he had a large mass on his brain — a rare malignant tumor, called anaplastic astrocytoma.
Due to the aggressiveness of the cancer, Alden had his first surgery within 24 hours of his diagnosis. That turned into another surgery and then another. Peterson recalls those early days being full of unknowns.
"By the time we got the diagnosis, it was 2 a.m. on a Monday, and slightly over 24 hours later, he was in surgery and they did two surgeries almost a week apart," Peterson recalled. "They got most of the tumor out and then they had to let some of the swelling recede and do another MRI to see the status of it."
That MRI showed more of the tumor still left, but it was surrounding major motor nerves. The first two surgeries left Alden with some paralysis, and doctors concluded he would be completely paralyzed if they attempted to remove any more.
Doctors left that part of the tumor in Alden's brain and began radiation treatments in September of that year, followed by chemotherapy in January 2022, to treat it. For the next two years, he would endure 24 cycles of treatment, having completed his last one this past March — just in time for track season.
'Nothing short of a miracle'
Due to the rigorous treatments that also included physical therapy to regain strength in his arms and legs from paralysis, Alden missed his entire eighth-grade year. According to his mom, however, he picked up right where he left off, academically and socially. What surprised Peterson the most was her son's ability to excel in athletics — even going as far as to call it a miracle.
Alden spoke more to his surprise of finding a sport that he liked than his ability to compete, saying he has never been much of a sports fan.
"Most sports, I am not much of a fan of," Alden said. "But then I started doing track because it was something that I've liked, and I'm going to at least continue doing field events because I like those — maybe not the running part of it."
Alden competes in the javelin, shot put, discus, long jump and high jump, and says he hopes to try the pole vault when he goes to high school — despite still having some weakness in his left hand.
"My motor skills aren't all the way back," the teen told KSL.com. "I have most of my gross motor skills, but my left arm is a bit weaker than my other arm."
Alden showed no signs of holding back at the recent district meet, finishing in the middle of the rankings in all his field events.
"He is an average athlete, whose scores usually fall about the middle or slightly above the middle," Peterson said. "But, his ability to even be able to compete at all after recovering from paralysis … is nothing short of a miracle."
With track season now over, Alden has plenty more to look forward to, including spending summer with friends and enjoying his other favorite pastime, which is building Legos.
This, his mom said, is "another story entirely," adding, she is very happy to see her son enjoying a full life.
While there are no current signs of cancer currently, Alden still takes three types of chemotherapy every morning, in tablet form, and is currently in remission as he looks forward to starting his high school years at NUAMES (Northern Utah Academy for Math, Engineering & Science) this fall.
