Meet Cash. Cash was just 5 when he was diagnosed with a ganglioglioma, a brain tumor that had spread into his spine. Cash’s oncologist at Children’s Hospital Colorado–Jean Mulcahy-Levy, MD–is also a lab researcher whose research is funded by The Morgan Adams Foundation. Her research has shown that tumors like Cash’s can have the genetic mutation against which a chemotherapy called vemurafenib has been shown to be effective.
Dr. Levy tested Cash’s tumor for the gene mutation. The test was positive.
“Before we knew that the mutation exists in these pediatric tumors and that this drug worked against it, there was no treatment,” Dr. Levy says.
Cash had treatments three times a month for a year. The therapy is not easy. He is the youngest patient Dr. Levy has treated locally, and was only the second child in Colorado to take part in the clinical trial.
Cash continues to be cancer free. Today, you’ll find Cash playing Minecraft and other video games…and just having fun being a kid.
Cash’s story was recently covered by Danielle Grant on Channel 9 news. In the video, Dr. Levy is shown with the Amnis Flow Cytometer that RMVR bought the lab. Watch the video.