Star of The Month...Drew Goodman

At 4 years old Drew was diagnosed with a highly aggressive, adult brain tumor, rarely seen in children. The name of this beast is a Glioblastoma Multiforme. His parents were told to go home and enjoy their time of 5 – 12 months. I am happy to say it has been 4 years and Drew is doing well. Drew is a very loving and fun child. He has never met a stranger. Drew loves everyone he meets. He is known to shower everyone with his love, hugs and kisses.

On April 22, 2004, Drew was diagnosed with brain cancer. He had a 2 ½ hour surgery to remove 98% of the tumor. The surgery went well and Drew recovered quickly. The only side effects were right arm/hand and leg/foot were weak. They had less movement and control. For treatment, Drew was then entered into phase III clinical trial that included 33 radiation treatments, 42 days of Temodar (chemotherapy) with 10 additional rounds of Temodar. One year from diagnosis, Drew completed the last round of chemo required for the clinical trial. As of, May 23, 2005, Drew has completed the treatment portion of the clinical trial. The MRI’s have shown no evidence of disease.

In April 2007, Drew started presenting symptoms of tumor recurrence. An emergency MRI performed, showed a new area of concern. This area was not in the tumor bed and it was not in the form of a mass, but more like a coating. After much deliberation, it was decided that the area was probably radiation necrosis (damage from the radiation). The only known treatment was steroids (Decadron) to manage his symptoms and the contraversial Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments.  Drew started 60 Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments at Duke University on May 30 and completed July 3, 2007. The MRI on July 5 showed great improvement. Drew was off the steroids and no longer showing any kind of symptoms.

Unfortunately, the MRI on October 1, 2007 showed a tumor in the original tumor bed. Drew was scheduled for surgery on October 31, 2007.  Drew’s surgery went well. The tumor was completely removed. The surgeon placed 3 Gliadel Wafers in the tumor bed. The pathology confirmed it was, again, Glioblastoma Multiforme.  In December Drew’s chemotherapy treatment of Temodar started. His last MRI on April 16, 2008 showed no evidence of disease. For now, he remains on Temodar and will continue to be monitored closely.  He has recovered well from his last surgery and is doing most things that normal 8 year olds do.

May Star ...Gunner Gillespie

Gunner is 7 years old from Marshall County, Kentucky in the first grade at Central Elementary in Mary Morgan's first grade class. He has a wonderful little sister, Garlynn (4 yrs), who is his best friend. His mommy and daddy, Janna & Gus, love him so very much.

Gunner was diagnosed on November 30, 2007 with an inoperable tumor on his brain stem. The type of tumor he has is called a pontine glioma and is very aggressive, highly malignant, treatment resistant and recurrent. This is a rare form of terminal brain cancer that mostly affects children between the ages of 4-10 years old.

Gunner began radiation treatments in Nashville, TN at Vanderbilt's Children's Hospital on Monday,December 10, 2007. He received 30 treatments 5 days a week for a total of 6 weeks.

This is the only treatment available for Gunner. Although there is a very small chance the radiation will help, the prognosis remains poor. There are only about 200 cases diagnosed each year. Due to the diffuse nature of the cancer there are no surgical options, and current chemotherapies have been found to be ineffective. With treatment, the median survival rate is less than 12 months. Please keep Gunner in your prayers for  complete healing. Please, Please say prayers to move Gunner's mountain.