Julianna McGahee
Everything changed for this family on Halloween 2023, when Gus Letson fell ill.
“Something felt off,” said Lesley Letson, Gus’ mother, when she recalled Gus’ symptoms, being low-grade fevers amongst other signs. “Being a Leukemia patient, I’m aware of the little, tiny things to look for.”
Lesley Letson was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018, right after Gus was born. Two years later, at the beginning of COVID-19, she was diagnosed with FLT 3 acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Initially, they thought that Gus had an infection, so, they went to the doctors and had some bloodwork done. After the Letson family finished trick or treating that evening, they received the results from the bloodwork, confirming Lesley Letson’s worst fear: her child was diagnosed with cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, about three out of four leukemias among children and teens are acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL).
Lesley Letson had no doubt that Gus was going to get the best care no matter what, as she came to Wellstar MCG Health and the Georgia Cancer Center for her own treatment and diagnosis.
The clinical trial that Gus is involved in is through the Children’s Oncology Group. They are studying the effectiveness of blinatumomab in treating newly diagnosed B-ALL (B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia).
“The goals of this trial are to see if we can cure more children with average risk ALL with the addition of a newer drug called blinatumomab. Blinatumomab has been shown to be very effective in treating both children and adults whose ALL has recurred. It’s never been used in the upfront setting, so this trial will answer the question: can we cure more kids with ALL if we add blinatumomab to standard chemotherapy?” says Colleen McDonough, MD, a pediatric hematologist and oncologist at Wellstar MCG. McDonough is Gus’ doctor at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia.
Gus was started on chemotherapy for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Shortly after he presented and over the past several months, he has been treated with multiple IV, oral, and subcutaneous chemotherapy drugs as part of the clinical trial.
“All the doctors and nurses have been wonderful, and they have been very responsive. I have appreciated how involved the children are in their own care. I think that one of the hardest things is feeling like you have zero control of your own body and what’s happening to it and losing all your own decision-making capabilities. So, I appreciate that they ask the children so many questions and involve them in their care,” said Lesley Letson.
One of Gus’s nurses is Abby Black at the Children’s Hospital on the pediatric floor.
“She is fabulous at her job and very caring and loving. It’s a calling for her, and it’s what she is supposed to be doing. She truly has a heart for each of these kids that she takes care of,” said Lesley Letson.
Lesley Letson said that Gus has been very brave about everything.
“The empathy that is naturally built into these children is just an amazing thing to behold. I just can’t wait to see all these kids grow up and what amazing adults they’re going to be,” said Lesley Letson.
Lindsey Morris
