CAYUGA—For 8-year-old Tucker Popper of Cayuga, what began as a routine trip to the hospital quickly devolved into a nearly year-long medical journey with a diagnosis his family never expected.
Tucker is known for being energetic, fearless, and always in motion with a love for the outdoors and sports.
“He’s like the most infectious kid you’ll ever meet,” said mother Kayla in an interview with The Press. “He’s fiery. There’s no fear. There’s nothing he won’t do.”
That energy has helped Tucker through one heck of a difficult year. Following that initial visit in May 2025 for a suspected case of swimmer’s ear, Tucker has since endured repeated hospital visits, multiple surgeries, and, in the end, a diagnosis of B-cell lymphoblastic cancer.
Doctors initially identified an infection in Tucker’s mastoid bone, requiring two mastoidectomies in one week and a two-week hospital stay to recover.
“We thought we were in the clear. Everything was good and he went home. Then the last day of school in June (2025), we noticed the same sort of thing happening again. We brought him back – he needed a third mastoid surgery,” said Kayla. “At McMaster, the EMTs said they’d never seen this before – a kid needing two, let alone three.”
As a result of that third surgery, Tucker developed a blood clot that required him to take blood thinners and antibiotics over summer break.
“Fast forward to September, he was done all that and seemed good, and then we noticed a bump on his lymph node on that same side starting to form,” said Kayla, noting doctors suspected something viral was causing the lymph node to swell.
With the number of hospital visits climbing and no answers in sight, Tucker’s family sought answers online.
“My husband and I and sent email after email, concerned because we’d done a deep dive ourselves and maybe this was cancer,” said Kayla. “Every doctor reassured us it wasn’t cancer because Tucker wasn’t sick enough.”
This process played out for months, until March 2026.
“They finally decided to do a biopsy. Within two weeks it came back. We found out over (the online patient portal) MyChart that he has cancer,” said Kayla.
She urged others to advocate for themselves and their loved ones for their medical needs.
“I know it’s said a million times to trust your gut,” said Kayla, recalling how doctors rejected their cancer concerns in December. “I wish we had pushed more at that point, but obviously you trust the doctors…. Basically what they’re saying now is they’re sorry, they should have done it sooner.”
While Tucker’s diagnosis came on March 12, 2026, he remained determined to finish his hockey season. Tucker’s team won the championship, and the next day he had his first chemotherapy appointment.
Since then, he has had chemo appointments four times a week, spending his weekends at home and enjoying simpler outdoor adventures, taking up gardening and developing a keen interest in birds.
“He is taking this on. He is switching gears,” said Kayla, noting the diagnosis was hard for Tucker to accept. “He had heard the doctor say ‘you don’t have cancer’ for months. For him it … took a couple months for trust to come back.”
Despite the delay in Tucker’s diagnosis, his father Matt praised the oncology team at McMaster for their excellent support.
“Tuck says Nate and Nancy (child life specialists) have made the clinic days easier,” said Matt. “Nate plays Zelda with Tuck and the nurses play along and take on Tuck’s fiery spirit and big attitude and million questions with all smiles.”
The team at McMaster aren’t the only ones standing behind Tucker and his family, as a huge outpouring of community support is providing funds to keep the family comfortable as they focus on Tucker’s recovery.
A GoFundMe set up by Meghan Mathieson raised $55,233 before pausing, while a fundraiser by Mallard Farms raised $1,250.
This past weekend, Cayuga Minor Hockey hosted a Jersey Dance fundraiser with prizes, a cash bar, and a live performance by the band ‘Rothwell.’
Frontman Gary Rothwell brought a special guitar to play the show.
“I had a very dear friend (Dee Cernile) pass away from cancer many years ago and this guitar was donated to his family by an amazing musician,” Rothwell shared, noting that musician has played with Bon Jovi, Triumph, and The Drills.
After acquiring the guitar, Rothwell promised himself to only play it when he was there to help others, “never for personal profit.”
Rothwell called playing shows to help another person “pretty much the best feeling ever.”
While a total amount raised at the Cayuga Minor Hockey fundraiser was not available prior to publication, representative Trish Davidson called the event an incredible success.
“Matt has been a valued coach with Cayuga Minor Hockey for several years, and it was amazing to see our hockey family and the entire community come together to support them during such a difficult time,” said Davidson. “The generosity from Cayuga and surrounding communities was overwhelming, and the support shown reminds us that hockey is about so much more than the game. A huge thank you to everyone who donated, volunteered, attended, and to the amazing band, Rothwell, for helping make the night so special.”
As Tucker continues his fight against cancer, he does so with the support of his entire community.
