The word to describe Tucker Williams is joy. “He is happy, fun, active, and an extremely strong little boy,” said his mother, Jessica. Just 14 months ago she might not have described her son this way. Jessica did not know if her son would celebrate his first birthday this year, let alone Mother’s Day.
At that time, just two months old, Tucker went from being a typical newborn to a child in need of serious medical care. He went from eating six ounces of food to nearly nothing. “I knew his eating patterns, and when he refused to eat and began sleeping more than usual, I knew something was wrong. Cancer never crossed our minds,” his mother recalled.
Admitted to The Children’s Hospital at TriStar Centennial, a large cancerous abdominal mass was discovered located deep near Tucker’s diaphragm. Haydar Frangoul, MD, a pediatric hematology/oncology physician, was assigned to the case.
“Tucker’s diagnosis was Rhabdomyosarcoma, a common cancer of the soft tissue that affects nearly 350 children each year,” said Frangoul. “The difficulty with Tucker’s case was the location of the tumor. It was deep within his body and comprehensive treatment would require a three-prong approach: chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation using brachytherapy.”
Almost two-thirds of Pediatric Rhabdomyosarcoma cases are diagnosed in children under six years of age, which makes standard care practices a bit more challenging,” explained Frangoul. “Surgery and chemotherapy are acceptable for a child this age but large doses of radiation – the amount needed to achieve the highest rate of cure – can result in significant long term side effects for infants.”
To counteract this, Frangoul and a team of physicians employed a more targeted approach to therapy. Stephen Morrow, MD, pediatric surgeon at The Children’s Hospital and Andrew Kennedy, MD, from Sarah Cannon Center for Blood Cancer at TriStar Centennial, pinpointed areas where Tucker needed radiation and placed catheters to deliver radiation close to the tumor site. “This targeted approach was a first for our hospital and certainly in this region,”said Kennedy. “Delivering radiation with accuracy allowed us to avoid damaging Tucker’s
organs near the tumor site.”
Today Tucker is in full remission with a chance to grow and enjoy his childhood. Tucker has a fighting chance at life and is able to celebrate another Mother’s Day with his family. “We’ve been so fortunate to have the privilege of treating him,” said Frangoul.
To learn more about Tucker’s story, visit TheChildrensHosptialNashville.com/Tucker or call TriStar Medical Group Children’s Specialists at 615-342-7339.
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About TriStar Centennial Medical Center
TriStar Centennial Medical Center is a 657-bed comprehensive facility offering medical and
surgical programs including behavioral health, 24-hour emergency, heart and vascular,
imaging, neurosciences, oncology, orthopedics, pediatrics, rehabilitation, sleep disorder, and
women’s services. An affiliate of TriStar Health, TriStar Centennial Medical Center’s 43-acre
campus is home to TriStar Centennial Heart & Vascular Center, TriStar Women’s Hospital,
The Children’s Hospital at Centennial Medical Center, TriStar Sarah Cannon Cancer Center
and TriStar Centennial Parthenon Pavilion, one of the largest and most comprehensive
private psychiatric facilities in Middle Tennessee. Around the clock care is also available at
TriStar Ashland City Medical Center, a critical care access hospital in nearby Cheatham
County. Opened in 2013, TriStar Spring Hill Emergency Room provides 24-hour emergency
care for nearby Spring Hill and surrounding communities.
