At Lurie Children's Hospital, Dream Team Helps Kids Fight Brain Tumors
CHICAGO (CBS) -- There's new hope for children suffering from brain tumors at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago. A so called "dream team" of physicians is at work.
They're on the job, thanks in large part to millions of dollars in donations in recent years, reports CBS 2's Mike Parker.
As mom and dad, Katie and Brad Loseke look on as Dr. Natasha Pillay Smiley examines their 9-year-old daughter Mikayla.
Mikayla has been battling brain tumors since she was 18 months old. For two years she's been treated at Lurie Children's Hospital by an elite group of pediatric cancer specialists.
"The study that she's on now has given us amazing results," Brad said.
"They have given us hope that we haven't found in other places," Katie said.
This is the hospital's dream team, a group of physicians who are trying techniques geared to the concept that kids whose bodies are growing may have to be treated differently than adults.
It's work is being financed by money raised largely by a woman who lost her son Gus to a brain tumor when he was 22 months old.
"We thought we'd maybe raise a couple thousand dollars, maybe ten thousand dollars when we wound down the foundation, we raised over $4 million," said Evelyn Evangelides, hospital board member.
"We are in an incredibly exciting time in our world of trying to make a difference in the lives of children with cancer," said Dr. Stewart Goldman, the leader of the team.
The Losekes head home to Omaha Nebraska, but they'll be back again next month.
This dream team approach shows that medicine is not giving up this battle, and neither are thousands of generous Chicagoans.