It’s the fight of his life for Worth boy, 2
BY JAIME ANGIO Correspondent November 8, 2011 6:54PM
Cancer patient Carter Pierzchalski (right), two-years-old, poses with his mother Kim Pierzchalski Wednesday afternoon November 2, 2011 at their home in Worth, Illinois. | Art Vassy~Sun-Times Media
Fundraiser for Carter Saturday
A fundraiser to help the Pierzchalski family offset the costs of 2-year-old Carter’s medical treatments is scheduled for noon to 5 p.m. Sunday at 115 Bourbon Street, 3359 W. 115th St., Merrionette Park.
The Stay Strong for Carter Bourbon Street Benefit will feature former American Idol contestant Gina Glocksen, the Bears vs. Detroit Lions game, food, raffles and kids games. Raffle and silent auction items include a large flat-screen TV, $100 spa gift certificates, a weekend getaway for two and more.
Tickets are $30 for adults 13 and up, $10 for children 6 to 12, and free for age 5 and under. The cost includes unlimited draft beer and wine for those 21 and older plus soft drinks and food.
For more information, visit www.staystrongforcarter.com.
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Updated: January 23, 2012 4:37AM
It’s been a while since Carter Pierzchalski was able to run around like most 2-year-olds.
Carter doesn’t play outside much, either, and he doesn’t eat — he gets “fed” via a gastric feeding tube.
A very rare form of cancer has robbed the Worth boy of some of a toddler’s most basic activities. But it hasn’t robbed him of his fight, and a cancer treatment that is growing in popularity is helping him and others in the Southland battle the disease.
In Carter’s case, he was just 18 months old when doctors discovered he had an atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor, an aggressive brain tumor found in only 3 of every 1 million children in the United States. The diagnosis shocked his parents, Kim Garrett-Pierzchalski and Todd Pierzchalski.
“The day before he was diagnosed, we were downstairs watching ‘American Idol.’ He was running around, dancing, a perfectly happy, healthy, normal little boy,” Todd Pierzchalski said.
But a seizure led to the diagnosis. In the six-plus months since, Kim and Todd — who also have a 4-year-old, Nathan — have done a lot of crying. Carter has endured six surgeries, chemotherapy and proton therapy.
The latter was approved by the FDA in 2001, but it’s still new in many parts of the country. There are only nine proton therapy treatment centers in the United States, including the CHD Proton Center in west suburban Warrenville.
With proton therapy, a radiation beam can be aimed more precisely at the cancerous target, reducing the risk of damaging surrounding tissues and reducing side effects.
“It’s the evolution of how radiation treatment is going to improve the outcome of patients, both on the curative side and also with less side effects as well,” said Dr. John Chang, a radiation oncologist at the CDH Proton Center.
It was during Carter’s treatment — five days a week for about four months — that his parents learned he was a fighter. Chang said Carter had a spirit about him.
“Every day, Carter was so active, so playful, and a lot of the kids that I treat in the past, they were just very lethargic,” Chang said. “They were just having problems with multiple issues, their balance, throwing up all the time. ... and not that Carter didn’t have some of those, but the severity of those side effects were dramatically reduced with this treatment. So it really gives him a chance, No. 1, to help cure him of this cancer, but once he cures, he will still have great quality of life that he might not have had had he gone through the regular radiation.”
Carter still faces 10 more chemotherapy treatments, but the proton therapy he had “allows him recovery in the future,” Chang said. “It may have delayed his (physical) development, but it allows the normal tissues to recover and then develop further after the tumor is gone.
“Just because he had a very aggressive cancer, the chances are still good and they’ve gotten better.”
Doctors estimate Carter will finish his treatments by May. His family has faith he will make a full recovery.
Proton therapy is used for other kinds of cancer, too. John Wenzel, 77, of Palos Heights, was diagnosed in June with prostate cancer and is happy he chose proton therapy.
“A friend of the family went through it, and he said it was a good procedure to have done with the prostate problem,” Wenzel said.
Nationwide, the availability of proton therapy is about to nearly double. Eight new proton treatment centers are in development, according to the National Association for Proton Therapy.
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