It’s a miracle doctors never thought they’d see — a child fully cured of a fatal brain cancer.
At age six, Lucas Jemeljanova from Belgium was diagnosed with DIPG, one of the most aggressive and deadly brain tumors in children. Doctors told his parents he might not survive two years. But they refused to give up. Lucas joined a clinical trial in France testing a new drug called everolimus.
To everyone’s amazement, the tumor began to shrink — and then completely disappeared. “Over a series of MRI scans, I watched as the tumor vanished,” said Dr. Jacques Grill, Lucas’ oncologist. Lucas, now 13, has been cancer-free for years — the first known cure of DIPG.
Experts believe a rare genetic mutation made Lucas’ tumor uniquely sensitive to the drug. Though the treatment isn’t a universal cure yet, doctors say his story offers “real hope” for families worldwide.
What was once a death sentence may now hold a glimmer of life — and a future worth fighting for.
