159: a risk worth taking

I found this lovely story in the New York Times today. You can access a video alongside the article. Both tell the story of Melanie Joy McDaniel, who was diagnosed with an inoperable and malignant brain tumor as a baby. Her parents, faced with few options, decided to put her on a new and experimental (and therefore risky) treatment offered by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, which worked by stopping the flow of blood to her tumor so it couldn't grow. Their gamble paid off. Melanie is now seven, and doctors can find no sign of her tumor - though they can't guarantee it won't return some day. For now, though, Melanie is enjoying her school and playing with her siblings. And other children may now benefit from the same treatment, with slightly more reassurance and less risk.