12-Year-Old Boy Diagnosed With Deadly Cancer Kept Alive By Grandparents: 10 Of 11 Tumors Eradicated By Controversial Laser Treatment
![Photodynamic therapy](https://d.medicaldaily.com/en/full/263007/photodynamic-therapy.jpg?w=400&f=4e1d8304186a22d70a30e2070b1af11c)
12-year-old Connah Broom is your average kid from Gronaut, U.K. He plays soccer; dances rock ’n’ roll, street, jazz, modern, and hip-hop in shows and competitions. What's not so average about him, however, is that he's been battling stage 4 neuroblastoma since the age of five.
Connah began suffering episodes of unexplained screaming, and drenching sweat before he turned 4 years old. His grandparents, Debbie and Jim, took their grandson to a local hospital to run tests but doctors suggested the episodes were “attention-seeking,” “growing pains,” and finally, “trapped wind,” reports The Daily Mail. It wasn’t until Connah woke up screaming at 2 a.m. with his bed wet that doctors took blood tests and diagnosed him with the rare cancer.
According to the Mayo Clinic, neuroblastoma is a cancer that develops from immature nerve cells found in several areas of the body. It commonly arises in and around the adrenal glands, which have similar origins to nerve cells and sit on top of the kidneys. The rare cancer can also develops in the abdomen, the chest, the neck, and near the spine — areas where a cluster of nerve cells exist. Neuroblastoma commonly affects children, ages 5 or younger, though there may be a rare occurrence in older children.
While some forms of neuroblastoma go away on their own, others may require multiple treatments. In Connah’s case, doctors told Debbie and Jim to prepare for the worst. Because modern medicine could not beat their grandson’s cancer, he was going to die.
“The nurses would say 'It’s awful that he’s not going to make it,' and I’d say: 'But he is. He is.' And then they’d say: 'You have to realize he’s very, very ill. Have you told him he’s going to die?' And I’d say: 'No. Because he’s not,' Debbie told The Daily Mail.
The beloved grandchild did two rounds of chemotherapy, but found the sessions did not have any impact on the 11 tumors found in his body. The doctors suggested that Connah do a course of full-body radiation, but the odds of survival were 50 percent. “Even if he didn’t die, the doctor could not guarantee he wouldn’t suffer kidney failure. Or have a stroke. Or have to be fed by a tube for the rest of his life,” recalled Debbie.
Remaining confident that their grandson would overcome cancer, the Brooms decided to look for an alternative therapy. They found photodynamic therapy (PDT), which involves using a photosensitizing drug combined with a certain kind of light that work together to create a form of oxygen that kill the cancer cells, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Connah takes a light-sensitive drug — an algae that is attracted to cancer cells. After consumption, he lies on the bed with the lights above him that activate the algae to produce free radicals so they can destroy the cancer cells.
While many doctors believe that PDT can be effective on different types of cancer where the tumors are close to the skin, they remain hesitant with its effects on neuroblastoma. The 12-year-old boy had a tumor on the main artery of his heart — because of this, doctors could not perform a surgery.
PDT, alongside an entirely organic diet and filtered water, keeps Connah active and running with energy on the field. The laser therapies have cost the Brooms as much as $324,000, and Debbie makes sure her grandson always eats healthy and fresh even if it means spending more on groceries.
“The oncologists were scornful, saying: 'Why are you wasting your money? It won’t work,'" Debbie said. The devoted grandmother simply retorted that it was her money and she would spend it as she pleased.
Six years later, Connah is alive and well after being told he would not live. While medical experts remain skeptical of whether PDT eradicated his tumors, there is one thing the high-spirited 12-year-old boy certaintly has: the love of his grandparents.
Connah was asked if he thought about cancer and he said, “…when I’m in bed, when I have time to myself, that’s when I think about the cancer. I feel lucky and unlucky. Lucky ’cos I’m alive and not dead. But unlucky ’cos sometimes I think: 'Am I going to make it to tomorrow?'"
The Brooms quest was recorded in the book, The Amazing Cancer Kid written by the Brooms and co-authored by Johnathan Chamberlain who also wrote The Cancer Survivor’s Bible.