2-year old Anderson was usually very active, but last July, his mother, Criston, and father, Donald, noticed him becoming more and more lethargic. Not only did he not want to play, Anderson didn’t want to eat or drink either. Criston found this very unusual, as these were three of his favorite things. Then, he began screaming out in pain during the night.
“I thought it was just growing pains,” Criston said. During their second trip to the hospital, Anderson ended up in the Intensive Care Unit for about an hour before things got worse. That’s when doctors performed a CT scan and found the baseball-sized tumor pressing into Anderson’s brain stem. Soon after, he was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma.
After surgery to remove the tumor, Anderson was left with a big scar on the right side of his head. “He keeps saying ‘The doctor broke my head’, other than that, he doesn’t really know he’s sick,” said Criston. Because Anderson is so young, he really has no idea what is going on, but sometimes gets very upset in elevators because that means he is going to have a procedure soon, she explained.
To comfort Anderson, his parents make sure that his blanket and music or movies are close at hand. Positive experiences with the doctors and nurses have also made it easier.
Anderson has been undergoing weekly chemotherapy in Columbus, Ohio and still has approximately four months to go. He has been hospitalized at least 15 times, but is responding very well to all his treatments. His family has also traveled to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where his 5-year old sister was finally able to visit him in the hospital.
“We came to Philadelphia because he needed proton radiation therapy and no other hospital was offering the treatment. We were referred to Compass to Care from our social worker. The 521-mile trip from our home to the hospital is a 9-hour car ride.” Six weeks of proton therapy means six separate round-trips. Not everyone has the resources to cover six weeks of gasoline, parking and lodging in addition to mounting hospital bills.
“It would be impossible without Compass to Care. A huge burden and stress has been lifted from our shoulders and gave us more time to focus on our son. We’re very thankful for Compass to Care. They are a wonderful service!” Criston stated.
Travel support funding, for children receiving proton therapy, is generously provided to Compass to Care by Ion Beam Applications S.A. A global medical technology company, IBA is focused on bringing integrated and innovative solutions for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. IBA is the worldwide technology leader in the field of proton therapy, the most advanced form of radiation therapy available today. They are committed to making proton therapy accessible to more patients worldwide. Their support of the mission of Compass to Care is proof of that commitment.