Eli’s experience with cancer has differed from other kids since the beginning. The first physician to suspect he might have a tumor was his mother, Deena Levine, MD, St. Jude Division of Quality of Life and Palliative Care director in the Department of Oncology — setting their family on a journey they never anticipated.
Deena noticed that Eli was walking oddly during a hike, then that he held his arms in a strange way; coupled with a recent growth spurt, her medical training led her to suspect her son might have cancer.
“Because of my training in pediatric oncology, I knew those were signs of a brain tumor,” Deena said. A Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan confirmed her suspicions.
Eli smiles at his mom while talking during an echocardiogram looking for potential treatment-related side effects.
“I don’t know how to describe that moment exactly,” Deena said. “It’s when I began to cross over from the provider role into the parent role, which is bizarre and very hard.”
Living in Memphis, the nearest pediatric cancer hospital that could treat Eli’s tumor was St. Jude. That meant that during Eli’s treatment, Deena would encounter some of her colleagues only this time as a patient parent. While it was an unusal experience for her, Eli has appreciated his mother’s connections and her expertise.
“She can just tell me what I need to know,” Eli said.
That was the case when Eli’s clinicians used a sample of his tumor to diagnose it as a low-grade glioma. Deena explained to Eli that his tumor had a genetic mutation making it vulnerable to a new drug combination.
Deena, watching Eli during an appointment her workplace, St. Jude.
Eli has responded well to the treatment. He still returns to St. Jude regularly to check his progress and monitor his heart for potential side effects. Through it all, his excitement and positivity remain powerful parts of his day-to-day life. “While I’d rather not have cancer, I’m lucky,” he said.
Eli believes in his mother and her colleagues, having now experienced firsthand what they do at St. Jude. Being a child of a St. Jude physician has given him a unique and comforting point of view.
“I know I have great people taking care of me,” Eli said.