‘Miracle Child’ Defies the Odds: Turns 10 And Thrives After Being Born with Extraordinarily Rare, Aggressive Brain Tumor

When Erickson was born, his parents were devastated to learn that he had a brain tumor. And it wasn't just any brain tumorErickson had a high grade glioma. This kind of tumor is rarely found in kids, and it is typically fatal. The tumor developed while he was in the womb, growing to be the size of a golf ball and enveloping a significant portion of his brain's right hemisphere. According to experts consulted by The Chicago Tribune, only about five children are born with this kind of tumor every year in the U.S.

Erickson's parents could have chosen to take their child home with hospice care. That would have meant accepting that he would die, but doing everything they could to keep him comfortable during the time he had. But they made a different choicethe choice to fight the disease head-on. Just a few days after he was born, Erickson underwent his first brain surgery. In the early months of his life, he endured two more.

Today, Erickson is a remarkable success story. His 10-year checkup confirmed that there is no evidence of cancer in his body. But he still faces some significant challenges. His hearing and his vision were damaged by his disease. His movement is limited, especially on the left side of his body. His pronunciation is often unclear, and he relies on his mother to repeat his words when he talks.

On top of all this, Erickson's family can never get too far from the fear that his cancer may return. Erickson has to go in for frequent brain scans, and approaching each one, his mother experiences "scanxiety"a fear hanging over her that the scan will uncover a recurrence. The family's fears haven't come true yet.

Erickson's attending physician and neuro-oncologist called him "a miracle child." She told The Chicago Tribune, "The odds were not in our favor with that tumor. Regardless of when in life it's diagnosed, it's an aggressive tumor that is difficult to cure…He's one of the people who inspires us to keep doing what we're doing and moving forward."

What is ‘Scanxiety?’

Cancer fighters and their families know that treatment isn't just physically taxingit also comes with a unique set of emotional challenges as well. One stressor that many patients and their families and friends struggle with is called scan anxiety, or "scanxiety."

Scanxiety is the uneasiness cancer survivors experience in anticipation of scans that could show a relapse or recurrence in their disease. In a question submitted to Dr. Marianna Strongin’s SurvivorNet column, one survivor expressed that scanxiety can even overpower the relief of being cancer free. Even after receiving several clean scans, this survivor wrote, “I'm crippled by anxiety about my cancer returning, so much so that I can barely enjoy the fact that I'm currently cancer free. There's just a persistent sense of dread and doom that gets increasingly worse as I near my next scan.”

In an interview with SurvivorNet, Dr. Samantha Boardman offered practical tips on how to manage scanxiety. Dr. Boardman is a psychiatrist and the author of a new book called Everyday Vitality. Here are her two top recommendations:

• Confront uncertainty
• Seek out the experience of flow

How To Manage Uncertainty

"We know that uncertainty is an unbelievably uncomfortable place to be psychologically," said Dr. Boardman. In fact, according to Dr. Boardman, studies have shown that people would often rather receive an electric shock than have to wait long periods of time to get information. "We’ll go to many lengths to try to get information at all costs," she said.

Stress and anxiety are common emotions that are experienced after a cancer diagnosis, and the ongoing pandemic can exacerbate those feelings.

What strategies does Dr. Boardman recommend for alleviating the stress of uncertainty?

One is a simple exercise that starts with drawing four columns on a piece of paper. "I'll ask patients to…write down what I don't know, what I do know, what I can't control, and what I can control," she said. From there, "a helpful way to dial down their anxiety" involves "trying to move as many items as possible into what they do know and what they can control."

Visually mapping this process out on a piece of paper can also make patients feel more in-control of their circumstances. By taking the anxieties bouncing around in a person's brain and putting them down in writing, patients are encouraged to feel like they have power over the challenges they're up against.

Clinical Psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin talks to SurvivorNet about how cancer survivors can self-soothe during the coronavirus, and reassures them they’re more resilient than they think.

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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