During Anders’ nine-month well child check, his pediatrician noticed that one of Anders’ eyes was not reacting the way it should. Anders was referred to an ophthalmologist who told his parents that Anders had cancer. Within a week of being diagnosed, he began chemotherapy. One of the cancerous tumors kept returning; so after a year, he was referred to St. Jude’s for further treatment. This story has a happy ending because Anders is now cancer free, and his eye was able to be saved. Today, he reads like crazy, skis and does all the things other boys his age do.
Update – The following is an update provided by Anders’ dad in 2024:
Anders is 6′ 4″ now, a straight A student, plays violin at East HS, rows in the summer, and curls/x-c skis in the winter. He’s a survivor of retinoblastoma (baby) and osteosarcoma (13 yrs old). Anders hasn’t quite settled on where, but engineering appears to be what he wants to pursue.