Our
Kids
 Curtis Porter
Curtis' journey began on April 7th, 2005, after
our family doctor discovered a large tumor in
his abdomen. We were admitted to CHEO that
evening, and on April 20th, 2005, we were given
the devastating news that Curtis had Stage 4
Neuroblastoma. Curtis was just 4 1/2 years old
at the time, and would end up celebrating his
5th birthday at CHEO. His initial course of
treatment consisted of seven rounds of high dose
chemotherapy, surgery to resect his tumor, a
stem cell rescue transplant and twelve rounds of
radiation. In December 2005, Curtis reached
remission, however his disease returned within
six months.
On June 2nd, 2006, after a routine set of scans,
we were shocked to find out that Curtis had
relapsed. By all accounts, Curtis seemed to be
doing very well and was showing no signs of
disease. The news of a relapse was devastating
for our family, but somehow we considered
ourselves to be lucky as we had caught this very
early. All of Curtis' tests had come back
negative, with the exception of his bone biopsy
which had come back positive for a small amount
of neuroblastoma cells. Our oncologist explained
to us that with no tumors in his little body, or
disease in his marrow, he was an ideal candidate
for an upcoming immune therapy study at CHEO. It
would be five weeks before CHEO would receive
final approval on this study, and Curtis could
begin his treatment. This exciting and promising
new study would use a drug known as hu14.18-IL2.
Over the next three and a half months, Curtis
would have to endure three grueling rounds of
this drug, and one day of a fourth round. Each
round was more difficult than the previous one,
and by round three, Curtis had retained so much
fluid, he ended up spending 48 hours in the ICU.
After such a severe reaction in round three, we
felt it best to only give Curtis a 50% dose for
round four, but that was cut short when Curtis
experienced similar issues after only one day.
It was eventually decided that Curtis was having
an allergic type reaction to the IL2 and he
would no longer be able to receive this drug.
Thankfully, Curtis had reached remission after
only two rounds and this time would remain
disease free for eight months.
Sadly, on April 24th, 2007, Curtis relapsed for
the second time. We have once again caught his
disease early, but we know in our hearts that
with each relapse, the battle becomes much more
difficult. Curtis is currently taking two oral
chemo drugs at home and has been receiving a 10
day course of radiation to a spot in his bones.
Coming up in July, Curtis will undergo a full
set of scans that will help us determine if this
treatment protocol is working for him.
Despite all that Curtis has had to endure, he
has managed to maintain a strength beyond his
years and a positive outlook on life. In our
minds, Curtis is a symbol of courage and hope,
and we will keep those qualities close to our
hearts as we continue to battle this disease.
If you would like to visit Curtis site please do
so at www.porterzone.net
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