Kaiden's Story
Child's Name: Kaiden
Parent's Name: Brian and Amy Brennfoerder
Mailing Address: 1321 Mullins Drive
E-mail(s): bbrennfo@gmail.com, 16pawz@gmail.com
Website: www.caringbridge.org/visit/kaidenbrennfoerder
Diagnosis: sPNET supra primitive neuro-ectodermal tumor
Date of Diagnosis: 03/25/10
Child's Age at Diagnosis: 2 1/2
Summary of Treatment Plan/Protocol: St. Jude's Protocol 4 months chemo therapy 6 weeks of proton radiation 6 months of oral chemo
Proton Center: Procure, Oklahoma City, OK
Pediatric Radiation Oncologist: Dr. Sameer Keole
# of Proton Treatments/Total Dose: 30
Dates of Proton: 08/17/10 - 09/28/10
Insurance Carrier(s): Federal Blue Cross/Blue Shield
How did you learn about Proton Treatment: From a friend in Oklahoma City
Story
When Kaiden was first diagnosed, we thought we were going to lose our baby. He handled his four months of chemotherapy like a champ, which gave us a glimmer of hope. But, when reading about traditional radiation therapy, we were once again fearful of Kaiden's prognosis. He may survive the cancer, but could have some serious deficits with cognitive skills, memory and behavioral issues. A friend called to check on us and when she learned we were going to start radiation, she asked if we knew about proton therapy radiation. We had not. Brian and I started reading all about it and the m ore we read, the more we were convinced it was the right choice for Kaiden. We asked our oncologist about it and she told us it was every bit as effective as traditional radiation with the potential of less side effects. We knew that Kaiden would have to live with whatever side effects appeared during treatment, so we wanted to minimize those effects as much as possible. So, we packed up our stuff, left Dallas and headed to OKC for six weeks. Kaiden loved the staff at Procure and was excited to go each day. They made us feel at home and as comfortable as we could be in a very frightening situation. Once again, Kaiden breezed through his radiation treatments with nothing but a small patch of hairless skin on his head and radiation burns that soon faded away. He never lost his energy or his spirit during the treatments. We have not noticed any residual effects and his IQ, behavior and mental capabilities are still as sharp as ever, almost a year later. I'm also happy to announce that Kaiden is in remission and has returned to living the normal life of a 3 1/2 year old. I truly believe proton radiation therapy helped save our little boys life. We owe a great deal of gratitude to Procure and its staff! ABC did a great piece on K-man and his proton treatments which can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkw28Hx0j0I
Thank you so much for allowing us to share his story. We are firm believers in proton therapy and want to spread the word to other families out there who might not know about it!
Amy B.