NILES — Standing in the hallway of Brandywine Elementary School surrounded by his friends and peers, Colton Hubbard, 11, began shaving his teacher Ryan Oleson’s head to laughs, cheers and gasps of the crowd around him last Tuesday.

“It really put a smile on his face,” Oleson said.

The impromptu haircut was an act of support on Oleson’s part. The fifth-grade teacher said he wanted to do something for Hubbard, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy to treat choroid plexus papilloma tumors. Because of the treatment, Hubbard had begun losing his hair.

Hubbard has been battling the condition since he was 7 years old. His family first knew something was wrong during a routine visit to the optometrist, where it was discovered that Hubbard had some swelling around an optic nerve. Hubbard was taken to the hospital where a tumor that was nearly the size of a baseball was discovered. The tumor was removed, but the battle was not over yet.

About a year and a half ago, another tumor was discovered near Hubbard’s pituitary gland. More tumors were discovered growing along his spine, too. While doctors told his family that the tumors were non-cancerous, their continued growth could cause serious problems.

Since the most recent diagnosis, Hubbard’s family has been searching for answers and treatment options.

Oleson has some understanding of what it is like to battle a brain tumor as a child. When Oleson was 6 years old, doctors found a benign tumor growing near his brain stem. Because of the tumor, Oleson spent time in and out of the hospital and had re-occurring seizures. A couple of months after discovering the tumor, Oleson had surgery to remove it. He now bears a zig zagging scar on his head. Oleson shared this with Hubbard, who saw the scar after shaving his head.   

Since Hubbard began battling the rare condition, Oleson said teachers and students have rallied to support him. After shaving his head, others followed suit to send a message.

“Here at Brandywine, we have a really good family,” Oleson said. “After [Miguel] Perez, [the at-risk specialist] shaved his head, we have other students who are joining in other classrooms.”

Olseon credits Perez for suggesting that administration do something to show Hubbard support.

Throughout Hubbard’s battle with the illness, Oleson said the student has remained an inspiration.

“I always see him with a smile on his face,” Oleson said. “It’s almost like it does not faze him one bit.”

When Hubbard’s family heard about what the school was doing to show their support, they were touched. For Oleson, this meant a lot more than keeping his locks of hair.

“It definitely filled my heart hearing from his family,” Oleson said.