Young rhabdomyosarcoma patient polishes his superpowers

一个小男孩患有一种罕见的癌症状rhabdomyosarcoma仍然是一个小男孩。

而像许多3岁的男孩，梅森马克里是迷上了超级英雄。

这就是为什么他的父母告诉他,each chemotherapy and proton therapy treatment recharges his superpowers. It works much the same as the spoonful of sugar about which Mary Poppins sings.

"We knew he would have questions about what was happening, and we wanted to say something positive but not lie," says his father Iain Macri. "It's really helped a lot."

旅ER揭示了横纹肌肉瘤
Mason, the 1,000th pediatric patient treated at theMD安德森质子治疗中心具有膀胱，一种罕见的软组织实体瘤横纹肌肉瘤。他们最经常发现在儿童和青少年以及弥补有关儿童癌症的3％。有些350案件横纹肌肉瘤每年被诊断在美国。

去年春天，当梅森的母亲，特尔培根，发现他有排便困难，她带他到自己的家庭医生在安大略省温莎市，对面从底特律边境。他告诉她不要担心andprescribed大便软化剂。但一个月后，当梅森无法小便，他的胃膨隆，他的父母把他送到急诊室。一个nultrasound骨盆部位发现一个肿块，他被运到byambulance伦敦，安大略省。

In short order, Mason was diagnosed and his rhabdomyosarcoma treatment began.

“Mason’s first day of chemotherapy was his third birthday present,” Iain says.

Internet research leads to MD Anderson
六个星期激烈的化疗后，梅森被允许回家继续治疗，返回伦敦每三个星期。放射治疗是不是因为梅森的年龄的一个选项，肿瘤的位置。治疗可能会导致严重的长期副作用儿童，包括继发性肿瘤或周围的器官造成伤害。希望是将化疗使肿瘤缩小，足以手术移除它。

In the meantime, while researching options on the Internet, Chantelle and Iain discovered proton beam therapy. Because it delivers high levels of radiation directly to a tumor without damaging surrounding normal tissue, it’s a good treatment choice for some pediatric cancers.

A second opinion and more imaging at a larger hospital in Toronto found another mass, which took the possibility of surgery off the table. Doctors there agreed proton therapy was a good option, but there are no proton centers in Canada. Only a few in the U.S. treat pediatric patients.

Further research led the couple to an article on the MD Anderson website about a boy with the same type of cancer who was treated successfully at the质子治疗中心。

“The power of the Internet led us to MD Anderson,” Iain says. “The boy’s father spoke so highly of MD Anderson and the Proton Therapy Center. He is doing incredible seven years after treatment, and that solidified our decision to come here.”

质子治疗中心安慰父母和超级男孩
离开自己的工作和家庭的背后，全家搬到了公寓接近MD安德森。特尔的父母从加拿大开车带着他​​们的车装有舒适的家，包括玩具梅森。

Mason will have 30 proton treatments, Monday through Friday for six weeks, and his chemotherapy will continue. His parents say he loves the nurses at the Proton Therapy Center, and he continues to build his superpowers.

“At first we were nervous,” Chantelle says. “But everyone at the center made us feel so confident and safe. We knew the first time we went there we had made the right decision. It took a four-month journey to get us here, but we’re where we’re supposed to be.”