Editorial

He never gave up the fight

Friday, March 28, 2014

By NOREEN HYSLOP

The community was saddened on Tuesday when word spread that Drew Albritton, the St. Louis child with links to Dexter, had died. He had won the hearts of so many in the area, many of whom never had the privilege of meeting the brave little boy who valiantly spent half his lifetime in a battle to survive.

And in the end, it was not the disease that took Drew, but rather the sometimes brutal treatments that were assigned the task of ridding Drew's body of cancer. The illness forced him in and out of Children's Hospital in St. Louis since the summer of 2012 when he was diagnosed with ganglioneuroblastoma, a rare childhood cancer. He was four months shy of his third birthday when doctors told Michael and Elizabeth Albritton the news.

Ganglioneuroblastoma is a rare tumor, with a majority of cases seen in young children up to four years old. It has an incidence rate of less than five cases per 1,000,000 children. Drew Albritton was one of those unfortunate numbers. His legs buckled one day while on a trip to the St. Louis Zoo, and in a matter of days he was a patient at Children's Hospital with a team of doctors devising a plan of attack.

Treatment began immediately for the brave little boy with the winning smile, and they were often grueling. But through round after round of chemotherapy, surgery after surgery, a stem cell transplant that required a 30-day isolation period with his mother at his side -- he endured. Through radiation and platelet infusions and bone marrow extractions before the transplant of stem cells -- he endured. At one point he became partially paralyzed from the pressure of the tumor on his spinal cord, but he endured and rallied after another surgery. His tiny body became more and more frail, but his smile never faded.

As most know, Drew had strong ties to the Dexter community. His mother was born and raised in Dexter, and his grandparents still reside in town. None could have known how Drew's diagnosis would change their lives in 2012 -- the drives to St. Louis for Dean and Carolyn Carroll, the loss of work for both of Drew's parents, Michael and Elizabeth, both teachers, but most of all the pain of watching your child and grandchild endure the necessary treatments they hoped would cure their son. During the first three months following his diagnosis, Drew spent 31 days at Children's Hospital. He would become ill from the treatments and then he would rally, only to be forced into another round of treatment.

Drew's plight was featured in an article in April 2013 in the St. Louis Post Dispatch. In that article, it's author, Harry Jackson, Jr., described the family's plight as their son fought with each new day.

"We can't fix it," said Drew's father during that time. "We're at the mercy of the disease, and we have to put our faith in God and the doctors. That's hard on a dad. That's hard on me. I want to fix things right away; be the pillar of strength right away. I want to provide financially and emotionally; it rips your heart out."

For Elizabeth, who has not returned to her job as a psychological examiner since the diagnosis came, the role was no less daunting. She found comfort in talking to other mothers whose children were fighting the same battle.

"It's like entering a secret club," she said at the time. "No one understands what it's like. But here, other mothers do."

The Carrolls and the Albrittons quickly learned the value of parents, grandparents, family and friends. Fundraisers sprung up everywhere -- from meat sales to concerts -- and dinners were brought in.

While Drew was undergoing treatment, the Albrittons welcomed their second child, a healthy girl they named Reese, who unbeknownst to them would only have a matter of months to spend with the brother who adored her.

One of the brightest days of Drew's life came on May 1, 2013, when he threw the first ceremonial pitch at Busch Stadium as the Cardinals took to the field.

"It was one of the best days ever," said Dean Carroll Wednesday, recalling that moment almost a year ago.

And referring to the efforts of the local community, a tearful but grateful grandfather said, "Words can't express our family's gratitude for this community. Their outpouring of love and care for Drew was just something that we will never forget."

It is for little ones like Drew and so many others that organizations like the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life and our local 18 Fore Life organizations exist. While one strives through donations to continue research and education into cancer causes and cures, the other offers monetary love offerings to individuals facing a cancer diagnosis in an effort to help defray the staggering financial burden that accompanies that diagnosis.

The greatest hope of both organizations is that one day, neither will have a purpose in this world, and that families will never have to bury a four-year-old who fought so hard to live.

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