This issue's spotlight is on Elric Childress, a 10-year-old from Virginia Beach, VA. With an "I-can-beat-it," attitude, Elric has long-surpassed the prognosis given to his parents at his DIPG diagnosis in October, 2009. His fighting spirit however, has been accompanied by many, grueling medical problems.

Back in September of 2009, Elric displayed what his parents, Kelly and Eric, believed to be extreme anxiety about entering second grade. Refusing to get on the school bus, screaming, and carrying on marked his September behavior. However, once calmed down, he seemed to adjust, but when the school nurse observed some changes in his walking and using his right hand, coupled with a few cases of Elric's eyes rolling back, his parents took Elric to his pediatrician. An MRI indicated a tumor in his brain stem. With a "not-much-we-can-do" prognosis, Kelly and Eric, with their fighting spirit, scoured the internet and called St. Jude. One week later, the family headed to Memphis for Elric's six weeks of radiation, along with his acceptance into a chemo protocol of Dasatanib and Vandatanib; his post-radiation MRI indicated tumor shrinkage. Arriving home just weeks before Christmas the family was happy to be home. However, Elric was again showing signs of the cancer. A CT scan in Virginia indicated "enlarged ventricles," with a cyst growing inside the tumor, pressing on his brainstem. By his eighth birthday on January 7, the family returned to St. Jude. For the next eight months, Elric remained in Memphis with mind-boggling, medical problems. Initially, Elric had a VP shunt inserted to regulate the flow of spinal fluid and decrease swelling, along with a cyst-drainage procedure. Complications with the shunt led the doctors to externalize the tubing in his abdomen that collected the spinal fluid. The spinal fluid showed NO CANCER!

In February, Elric was re-admitted to St. Jude because of a GI tear, resulting from continuous vomiting; seems as though Elric was allergic to the Zantac and Septra he was being given. During his 16 days of "healing," Elric developed a yeast infection in his first abdominal incision. Three months later, the incision healed.    

Another MRI indicated white spots at the tip of Elric's left brain ventricle, meaning the cancer had spread. Elric was removed from his chemo protocol and given Etopiside, which unfortunately caused tumor growth. Another CT scan revealed a brain bleed caused by Lovenox, which Elric was given to help with a blood clot that developed in his leg; however, with that scan, the white spots were no longer evident. Thus, Elric, with much insistence by his parents, was put back into the chemo protocol, which actually was shrinking his tumor. Whew! After eight months, Elric returned home.   

At almost a year since diagnosis in 2009, Elric was in Virginia dealing with his many, medical issues, but with a dauntless attitude. A November MRI at St. Jude indicated a stable tumor; his protocol required an MRI every two months.    

With the new year, Elric began "pushing himself to walk with the use of his Gait Trainer and to use his right hand, anxiously awaiting his Make-A-Wish trip to Disneyworld with his parents and younger sister, Kat. Days before the scheduled trip, Elric developed a pain in his right leg, accompanied by a "red band" around his thigh. A diagnosis of cellulitis in his leg resulted in a week's hospital stay and a postponed (again) vacation.    

Finally in late February, 2011, the Disney trip became a reality, thanks to the patience, understanding, and accommodating ways of the Make-A-Wish and Give Kids The World foundations. Mom, Dad, Elric, and Kat's much-awaited and well-deserved trip was perfect.      

In March, Elric was given Clindamycin because the redness in his leg was still visible, but he continued with his speech, occupational, and physical therapies, as well as his homebound schooling. An April MRI showed once again a stable tumor, but Elric's blood pressure and urine proteins were both elevated, so his chemo regimen was halted. He was taken off the Clindamycin because the redness in his leg was now attributed to his body making a mass of new veins to route around the vein with the blood clot, however, the high dosage he was on previously affected his voice and speech.    

Welcome, summer --- In June, Elric's protein counts were down and his protocol resumed with a lower dosage of Dasatanib; another MRI in July, another "stable" report; and another addition to the family: Angel, a large mixed German Shepherd who befriended the Childress' cats, Stormy, Shadow, and Casey and became Elric's inspirational and helpful companion.    

The Childresses were back in Memphis in September --- when Hurricane Irene hit at home --- and although their home was not damaged, they were happy to not to have been in Nature's wrath. Another stable MRI was not overshadowed by the possibility that the blood clot in his leg would probably prevent Elric from walking again. Only one more trip to Memphis in early November; the family was happy to have been home for all the major holidays in 2011: Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, even though they knew they'd be traveling to Memphis on Elric's 10th birthday in January. So far 2012 has been relatively devoid of major medical issues. Having extended his protocol for another year, Elric will continue his every-eight-weeks trip to Memphis because that means that his tumor is not growing.    

Although it appears that Elric's life is all about his medical treatments, he remains a spirited fighter, enjoying his Legos, learning about ocean animals, and watching movies, especially Harry Potter and Star Wars. Speaking of movies, having watched Winter the Dolphin inspired Elric's dad to contact Hanger Orthopedics, who is making Elric a custom pair of leg braces that will not cause skin irritation. Those, along with his compression boot, which massages his leg, allowing built up fluid to circulate and his lymph nodes to re-absorb the fluid, are helping Elric with his determination to try whatever is available because "it might save another child's life." There's no doubt that his fighting spirit is his own special medicine. Follow Elric's amazing journey as he begins his aquatic therapy and heads to Memphis this week by visiting his website.