11-year-old cancer survivor helps give back to Banner Children’s patients

PHOENIX — An 11-year-old’s fight against cancer has inspired his mother’s place of work to give back to patients inside the pediatric oncology unit of Banner Children’s at Desert in Mesa.

After celebrating the end of his treatment for stage 4 cancer in February, Braydon Felix and Macdonald Orthodontics — where his mom works — raised over $4,000 to help young patients going through a similar experience.

The combined group effort raised a total of $4,175 in gift cards ranging from food and drink to shopping to video games.

The East Valley dental group elected to help Felix give back to highlight the two-year anniversary of his diagnosis with neuroblastoma, a type of cancer that develops from immature nerve cells and is mainly found in infants and young children.

It mainly attacks the adrenal glands, but the disease can also affect other areas of the abdomen in addition to the chest, neck and nerve fibers that run along the spine.

Felix started receiving treatment in October 2018 at the same hospital, which was formerly known as Cardon Children’s Medical Center.

The boy went through a rigorous set of treatments, including five rounds of chemotherapy and six rounds of immunotherapy.

Additionally, Felix traveled to receive a stem-cell transplant using his own stem cells at Banner Diamond Children’s Medical Center in Tucson.

He also received 12 rounds of radiation in 15 places on his body, two of which include his spine and skull.

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