Drew

When he was diagnosed with cancer, he found belonging with kids that looked ‘just like him.’ Now, he’s excited for that same care to be closer to home. 

On a warm afternoon, the school bell rings and Drew beelines for home. After years of treatment in and out of Children’s Health, the simple routine of coming home and relaxing after school feels like a gift. 

Drew cracks open a soda and enjoys the sweet treat as he watches TV, builds Legos and plays video games. Later, he’ll huddle up with a few friends in the yard to show off the new Pokémon cards he unwrapped yesterday and make a trade or two. 

Drew is bound and determined to be a normal boy, despite the hurdles put in his way. He can no longer play high-impact sports like soccer, baseball or basketball. He can’t risk an impact to his jaw, which was weakened by a rare form of cancer.  

But he can put up the fight of a lifetime.  

When he was 6 years old, Drew played defense against an opponent most kids can’t imagine: Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare type of cancer that forms in soft tissue.   

Now, four years later, he’s whirling around on his scooter, mastering his bicycle and learning how to play pickleball.  

After surviving a journey that didn’t play by any rules he had ever known, Drew’s not staying on the sidelines. 

A Change of Plans 

In 2019, Drew’s mom, Emily, worked a typical night shift as a nurse and anxiously headed home to check on her son.  

“Drew had been really weak. He had some swelling on his right jaw. He had fevers. He was up at night crying. He was only in kindergarten at the time. Something was not right,” she said. 

Seeing that Drew was still in pain, Emily decided to take him to the ER.  

“Even though my insurance is telling me to go to another hospital… I walked straight into Children's Health Plano,” she said. 

A CT scan revealed an aggressive mass in Drew’s right jaw that was growing toward his brain.  

Drew was immediately transferred to the Pauline Allen Gill Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s Health in Dallas, where he was diagnosed with stage four embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma – a type of cancer where tumors form in the soft tissues that connect, support, or surround organs and body structures.  

Rhabdomyosarcoma comprises only 3% of all childhood cancers. This year, about 400 children in the United States will be diagnosed with this rare type of cancer.  

Just Like Me 

Doctors quickly discovered that Drew’s cancer was also present in his lungs, spine, pelvis, and some bones in his arms and legs. Drew would need extensive chemotherapy for 16 months.  

This meant Drew would be admitted to the hospital every three weeks for inpatient chemotherapy and undergo weekly outpatient chemotherapy.   

The first inpatient chemotherapy treatments began at Children’s Health in Plano. But Emily quickly picked up on something: Drew was one of the only kids on that campus going through cancer treatment.  

“When we did our inpatient in Plano, there were no other kids that didn't have hair. There were no other kids with ports,” she said of Plano oncology services at the time, which have expanded since Drew’s treatment. (Thanks to ongoing philanthropic support, a new eight-story tower will soon deliver treatment closer to home for kids who live north of Dallas.) 

A few weeks later, Drew traveled to Children’s Health in Dallas for treatment. There, he quickly noticed something was different.  

“He said, ‘Mom, look! He doesn't have hair – just like me!’” Emily remembers.   

Emily was so moved that Drew finally felt like he wasn’t alone.  

“It was just better for Drew because he got to go to the playroom without a mask,” Emily said. “He got to meet other kids that didn't have hair and other kids that had to walk around and pull an IV pole behind them.”    

After that experience, Drew’s family decided that he should have all his inpatient treatment at Children’s Health in Dallas. It meant more travel and being further away from home, but it was worth it.  

The experience is why Emily is excited for the opening of the Plano expansion, which will increase services for oncology patients like Drew through enhanced program support and new technology so kids and families can receive the same care closer to home.  

““The team held my hands and mothered me so that I could mother him; took care of me so I could change my whole life around for 16 months,” Emily said. “They would tear up with me when I was tearing up, but they would also laugh with me.” 

Feeling Supported for the Journey 

Drew and his family made their way through 16 months of treatment with the support of an amazing care team. Emily felt enormously supported by the Children’s Health staff during their treatment journey. 

“I remember I would look up and think, ‘God, I can't do this for 16 more months,’” Emily said. “So I would just pray and the team members would support me as I supported Drew.” 

As time went by, team members got to know Drew and how to make him feel most comfortable. 

“They knew he didn't like his temperature taken on the right side because that's where his tumor was; so, they always made sure to do the left side,” Emily said. “He didn't like his blood pressure cuff on his arm; so, they'd do it on his leg. Every step of the way, they would cater it toward what he needed.” 

Making Care More Accessible for Kids 

Drew’s family traveled farther away from home to find a place where he belonged. They found comfort and belonging among supportive staff and other families living through the same experience. 

Today, Children’s Health is on a mission to meet the unique and wide-ranging needs of kids for generations to come. With approximately 3 million children projected to live in North Texas by 2050, philanthropic gifts are critical to ensure Children’s Health is ready to care for our community’s children.  

In 2021, Children’s Health℠ launched one of the most significant initiatives in our hospital’s history — the Plano campus expansion. The new eight-story, 395,000-square-foot tower will house expanded specialty care programs, support services, an amenities center and much more so kids north of Dallas can receive the same care closer to home.  

As we continue to anticipate the growing needs of the pediatric population today and for decades to come, support of the Children’s Medical Center Plano expansion has and will continue to allow us to embark on a path of significant growth, ensuring our legacy of providing the best pediatric health care for all children and families. 

Your gifts to Children’s Health help us expand our facilities and services to provide personalized care to more kids like Drew. You help ensure that all children and families can find the social and emotional support they need for every moment of their journey.  

“When we were in it, we were glad for the people that went before us and thought of ways to make it better for us. And now we get to think of ways to make it better for other people that are just starting their journey as we're ending ours.” -Emily Herrell 

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