HOUSTON – Kaleo is a 3-year-old boy whom we introduced you to in March. He has a rare form of cancer.
He recently rang the bell, signaling he completed his final round of chemotherapy.
Who is Kaleo?
His mother and father, Tiara and Andrew Collier, are, understandably, a big part of his life.
Kaleo enjoys playing outside, hanging out with his friends, going to school and playing with worms.
What cancer does Kaleo have?
Kaleo was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma, a rare cancer that affects children. It usually affects children under the age of 5. There are fewer than 1,000 cases diagnosed in the United States each year.
Symptoms include lumps of tissue under the skin, back pain, fever, wheezing and weight loss.
Treatment usually includes surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
How did Kaleo find out he had cancer?
On Oct. 26, 2018, Kaleo was sent home from school with a fever and was complaining that his stomach and his leg hurt.
He was taken to the doctor many times for four weeks, with an ongoing fever. His pediatrician initially diagnosed him with an ear infection, but his fever wasn't going away.
On Nov. 9, 2018, he was taken to an emergency room, where they drew blood and determined he had a slight case of anemia. He was sent home.
Four days later, he was back in the emergency room with another fever. After getting X-rays, he was sent home again.
The stomach and leg pain continued through Nov. 22, which was Thanksgiving Day. He was taken to the emergency room yet again. A doctor ran an ultrasound on his abdomen and found a mass. That's when he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma cancer.
Who has shown support?
Celebrities, including Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, have sent well wishes to Kaleo because he’s a big superhero fan. Also, several professional wrestlers have shown support.
What is life like at the hospital?
After months of chemotherapy, Kaleo recently had his last round. He's finally back home playing with his toys again.
He still has rounds of radiation and immunotherapy, but his family is hopeful Kaleo will be cancer-free.
AWESOME UPDATE: tonight we check back in with 3-year-old Kaleo who’s battling cancer, he recently got to ring the bell after having his last round of chemotherapy pic.twitter.com/QWsmGa4r3v
— KPRC2Jonathan (@KPRC2Jonathan) July 27, 2019