Patient # 367 Completes Proton Radiation Therapy!

On Thursday, February 16th, Theofanis was the 367th patient to "graduate" from the Procure proton center. With applause and cheers from the entire Procure staff, Theo successfully completed his radiation treatment!

It was a heartwarming scene as Theo said goodbye to his radiation doctors and nurses, and then walked into the lobby to find dozens of staff, technicians, and others lined up to congratulate him and bid him farewell. He was presented with gifts, a cake, his countdown calendar, a diploma, and an engraved medal. His sisters and parents accompanied him on his last day of treatment to join the staff in honoring him for his bravery and stamina as he underwent seemingly endless hours of laying still as proton beams zapped the three cancer-striken areas of his body. The celebration went beyond the fact that Theo was done with radiation, but that he was able to remain strong throughout the treatment. Besides having a slight "sunburn", he had no side effects!

The Yianas family was extremely grateful to the entire staff at Procure in Warrenville for the wonderful care they gave Theofanis. They were all so kind, open, friendly, helpful, and attentive: Dr. Hartsell, the center's director and Theo's radiation oncologist; his super cool nurse Anne; Peresh the Doseologist who spent hours going through the dosing plan with Eleni and detailing out the exact path of every proton beam their child received; Kelly who dealt with the insurance issues; the always smiling reception team that would send Theo home with his daily snack; and the teams of radiation technicians who prepped him and carefully administered each beam. It felt as if each and every person picked up a sword and was fighting alongside Theo during this part of his battle against cancer.

THE SPOT

So with Radiation complete, the next phase of treament begins. Before the immunotherapy orders and consents can become official, Theofanis must undergo a full battery of scans and tests that will determine the status of his disease. And after the results are in, he will be re-staged. Theo's testing begins on Monday February 20th, and over the course of the following three days, he will make daily trips to the University of Chicago with back-to-back visits to nuclear medicine, radiology, cardiology, clinic and other departments.

His schedule is as follows:

Monday

• Bone Marrow Biopsy with sedation (marrow is taken from his pelvis and sent to pathology to scan for any neuroblastoma cells in his bone marrow.) 

Tuesday

• MIBG Scan #1 (a radiation injection that has an affinity to neuroblastoma is picked up during this scan and lights up where there are active neuroblastoma cells)
• Audiogram (checks for changes in his hearing that could be caused by high dose chemotherapy drugs)

Wednesday

• MIBG Scan #2 (second scan to complete the four images the radiologist requires in order to identify active neuroblastoma cells anywhere in his body)
• Echocardiogram and EKG (checks heart health and function)
• CT Scans of head and body (Identifies and determines size of solid tumors.)
• Pulmonary function test (checks health and function of lungs)

Results of all the tests are expected on Thursday. In the neuroblastoma community, families identify these days of testing and waiting for results with "Scanxiety." Anxiousness and fear are the overwhelming emotions that take over. And for Eleni and Kosta, these days are going to be filled with these and other emotions...along with never-ending prayer. And let's remember, what's gotten the Yianas family through to this point in Theofanis' journey against cancer is LOVE, FAITH AND PRAYER.

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOPHIA!

On Saturday, February 18th, Sophia woke up to find five colorful balloons adorned on her bedroom door in honor of her fifth birthday! With a quiet celebration at home, the Yianas family started the day with a special breakfast and ended it with a yummy ice cream birthday cake! Sophia had a smile all day long as she played with her brother and sister throughout the day. Happy 5th Birthday, Sophia!!!!!