A Reminder That Sometimes, Good People Get the Good Endings They Deserve

Spencer Kolman was just 16 months old when he was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer made up of cells that would normally develop into skeletal muscles. For the next year, he was aggressively treated with a combination of chemotherapy, radiation and multiple surgeries. The treatments were ultimately successful, and Spencer was declared cancer free.

Unexpected complications

In 2013, Spencer, an otherwise healthy 11-year-old, suddenly collapsed on the ice during a hockey game. The family doctor diagnosed him with asthma and prescribed a rescue inhaler, but his shortness of breath didn’t improve. Later, a doctor at the University of Chicago diagnosed walking pneumonia and prescribed antibiotics, still to no avail. Eventually, doctors came to the conclusion that the chemotherapy that Spencer underwent as a baby was responsible for scarring his lung tissue.

Four years passed between Spencer’s collapse and the surgery that would give him his life back; in between, his family worked hard to make sure he could get the heart and lung transplant that he so desperately needed. On November 29, after an incredible series of setbacks, Spencer received a heart-lung transplant at St. Louis Children’s Hospital’s Heart Center. The surgery is so difficult and faces so many challenges that his was the only pediatric transplant surgery performed in 2016.

Thanks to an incredible team of dedicated doctors and advances in surgical techniques and anti-rejection therapy, Spencer is on the road recovery. CNN reported:

“For now, the team at St. Louis is monitoring Spencer for signs of infection and evaluating how well his lungs are functioning. ‘The hope is, you’ll beat the odds if you make it to five years, and you’ll be really lucky if you make it to 10 years,’ [pediatric pulmonologist Dr. Stuart] Sweet said. “We like to think that children who survive 10 years are likely to continue to do well.” Both he and [cardiothoracic surgeon-in-chief Dr. Pirooz] Eghtesady say that the future is uncertain for Spencer, but the first year is critical and usually indicates whether a patient will do well.”

Hope for the future

Spencer was lucky to have a family and a medical team that spent years working hard to give him a chance at a normal life. A pediatric heart-lung transplant is no small feat, and we wish Spencer and his family a full and speedy recovery.

At McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips LLC, we know that not every story will end as happily as Spencer’s. That’s why we fight on behalf of the injured. If you or a loved one has sustained an injury because of someone else’s negligence, call 803-327-7800 or contact our South Carolina medical malpractice attorneys today.