Following seven weeks of proton radiation treatment and a month of recovery time, 11-year-old Kirkland resident Mason Gordon is back in the sixth grade at Rose Hill Middle School.

“He’s so excited to be back at school,” Mason’s mother, Lindsey Gordon, said.

His last day of proton radiation treatment was Jan. 9, and Gordon was back at school Feb. 13, with his first full day back on Feb. 20, Lindsey said. He also had his first post-treatment MRI on Feb. 13, and his brain tumor has shrunk 8 millimeters so far, she said.

“It will continue to get smaller … over a long period of time,” Lindsey said, comparing the process to a slowly deflating balloon.

He will continue to get MRIs on a quarterly basis, and his doctors will continue to monitor the hydrocephalus (fluid buildup around the brain) caused by his tumor, which is currently kept under control by shunts.

“He’s doing great; he hasn’t had a shunt malfunction since October,” Lindsey said.

The family has been updating a Facebook page, facebook.com/masongordonhope, throughout Mason’s battle with cancer, and they posted a video of Mason sharing the news of his shrunken tumor earlier this week.

“I just wanted to tell you that my tumor has shrunk — woo hoo!” Mason said in the video, going on to share his excitement about returning to school after having to miss the fall semester.

The community has rallied around Mason and his family since the June 2012 brain cancer diagnosis. In December, the Bridle Trails Red Apple Market, in the neighborhood where the Gordons live, held a fundraiser for the family.

“I’m so glad we live in Kirkland,” Lindsey, who recently expressed her appreciation for the community support in a letter to the editor, said.

Mason Gordon poses for a photo alongside his mom, Lindsey; his sister, Greta; and their dog, Joey. Contributed photo