Man celebrates final brain cancer treatment at Penn Medicine

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Dressed to the nines, 20-year-old Nicholas Baratelle rang the bell Friday at Penn Medicine in celebration of his last radiation treatment.

"It was amazing, it was just the best feeling out there. My biggest support team, everybody was there, my family and friends," said Nicholas Baratelle.

Dr. Robert Lustig of Penn Medicine explains it's been a battle for Nicholas. He was diagnosed with an extremely rare type of brain cancer.

"It actually grew on the lining of his brain, kind of surrounding his brain" said Dr. Lustig.

Nicholas says he had started getting headaches last year, then one morning in April he woke up in horrible pain.

"I can't saying anything. All I can say is 'my no, no,' that's it," said Nicholas Baratelle.

His mom called 911. Weeks later they got the crushing diagnosis.

"His dad sat in the corner and we just both cried, and we just held his hand," said Annie Baratelle. "It was just impossible to comprehend."

Doctors say it took a lot of collaboration to come up with a unique treatment plan including months of chemotherapy and 28 days of proton beam radiation.

Nicholas celebrated reaching a milestone on Friday.

"It was rough on not only me, but my family and my friends, but I'm coming out on the other side," said Nicholas Baratelle. "It's unbelievable."