Sixteen-year-old Quin Duncan is a varsity lacrosse player in Wilmington is relieved to be back on the field after a bout with arteriovenous malformation (AVM).

“When I first started bleeding, I had passed out and had to go to the hospital,” Quin Duncan said. “And it was terrifying because I mean no one knew what it was.”

His mom, Kristin Duncan, says there were several scary episodes of bleeding coming from an abscess in his mouth.

“You don’t know it’s there. And then all of a sudden it was just, I was catching Quin’s blood in a bucket,” Kristin Duncan said. “In the moment, honestly, we just didn’t understand the magnitude of what it was.”

He was finally diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation, something that’s very rare and potentially fatal.

“An arteriovenous malformation is an abnormal connection between the arteries, which are vessels that pulsate, and the veins, which drain,” Dr. Anne Marie Cahill, an interventional radiologist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said. “They can create a lot of local problems with the tissues and integrity of bones and teeth, et cetera, so it’s complex problem.”

Cahill says AVMs are often misdiagnosed as a dental problem. 

“When teeth are loose, it is really important to stop and figure out what lies beneath and then give us a chance,” Cahill said.

Quin Duncan underwent four surgeries over the past 8 months and takes daily chemotherapy to control the condition.

“It’s just completely flipped my world upside down,” he said.

Recovering now, he’s relieved to be back for the playoffs and able to practice with his dad in the backyard.

“From where I was, sitting in a hospital bed, not too long ago, never thought I’d be playing lacrosse again,” he said.

Quin Duncan and his family credit the team at CHOP for getting him back to playing, along with his friends who made sure he had plenty of support and milkshakes during his recovery.

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