Henderson resident, 9, beats cancer odds and looks ahead

Henderson-area resident Eric Lyons plays with his hands while sitting at the kitchen table with his mother Wendy.

Quiet and collected, Eric’s maturity could be mistaken for shyness, but the 9-year-old talks a mile a minute at the mention of video games and toys.

“We still have a lot of unopened presents from Christmas and the hospital,” Wendy said. “He’ll be busy for the next couple weeks as he regains his strength.”

Eric celebrated being “chemo-free” March 5 at the St. Rose Dominican Hospitals Siena campus, 3001 St. Rose Parkway, after being diagnosed with a relatively rare stage three brain tumor last April.

Within a year, Eric has undergone three brain surgeries, radiation, chemotherapy and a surgery to insert a porter catheter.

“He is now in remission,” Wendy said. “The doctor has extremely high expectations for a full recovery. They said even if it does come back, they can take care of it, and it will never be as bad as the first time.”

Last spring, Wendy said Eric was hit with nausea and vomiting for weeks, but visits to urgent care left them with more questions than answers.

While participating in an Easter egg hunt at a neighbor’s house, Eric complained of blurry vision. The neighbor, who was a nurse, urged Wendy and her husband Pete to take their son to the hospital.

Eric underwent a CAT scan, through which doctors located a brain tumor on his brain stem. Less than 48 hours later, Eric was prepped for surgery, and the tumor was removed.

The pathology results diagnosed Eric with pediatric stage three anaplastic ependymoma, a tumor that affects about 200 children in the United States each year.

“We were informed that they were able to resect 99 percent of the tumor mass,” Pete wrote on the family’s GoFundMe site. “In my mind, that sounded like great news … but subsequent MRIs confirmed that another surgery would be required.”

The family was sent to to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles for Eric’s second surgery. Doctors removed the remaining portion of the tumor and operated on a second “suspicious spot” before starting Eric on a 33-day radiation regimen.

“The kid sailed right through it,” Pete wrote. “He even attended school and scouts after the treatments, and we began trying to breathe and enjoy some kind of non panic-filled life.”

While Eric’s follow-up MRI came up clean for the original tumor site, a pea-sized growth had developed in the second location. The family traveled back to Los Angeles for Eric’s third brain surgery around Thanksgiving.

The operation on the second location was successful, but doctors were not pleased with how aggressive the tumor was despite radiation treatments, so Eric was recommended to undergo a four-month cycle of chemotherapy.

“Eric has not cried; he has not fought once during this whole thing,” Wendy said. “The only argument he had was when the doctor said he had to have chemo, but the doctor explained the situation, and Eric knew he had no choice.”

Eric began his chemotherapy treatment Dec. 16 after undergoing a surgery to insert a porter catheter.

Because of his weakened immune system, Eric’s school, Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas, has allowed him to complete his work at home through a tutor.

“I haven’t left the house in four months unless someone is here with him, and even then I’m afraid to leave because I don’t want to bring any germs home,” Wendy said. “We’ve been pretty much isolated except for the one or two friends that have come over when his counts have been good.”

When the family launched an online donation website, his school sent the link to its “Coral Family.” The goal of $6,250 was met in 17 days.

“Eric is a special child with a huge amount of determination,” said the academy’s instructional coach, Bethany Mickey. “He always wanted to be a soldier when he grew up and has fought this cancer like a soldier. He has an incredibly positive attitude considering his situation.”

Despite the complexity of his illness, Eric remains a child. He enjoys riding bikes, fishing, playing video games and spending time with his friends and dog.

“I want to be in the military, and if not that, I want to study ancient diseases when I grow up,” Eric said. “I want to be in the Army or Marines so I can shoot guns.”

To reach Henderson View reporter Caitlyn Belcher, email cbelcher@viewnews.com or call 702-383-0403. Find her on twitter: @caitlynbelcher.