2008 Woodie Awards
Teacher catches signs of tumor
Alyssa Cashman - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 2/4/08 Section: Metro
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa - Tyler Harris is a boy of few words - until you hit on one of his favorite topics, music. The 8-year-old loves AC/DC and knows how to play "TNT" on his new guitar, he says with a barely audible voice
He is clearly more comfortable answering mother Tina Eubanks' questions. She has been by his side all day, every day, starting about four months ago.
That was when Tyler was diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumor.
The events leading up to the diagnosis are unusual, exemplifying the important role teachers play in students' lives.
Julie Harvey, Tyler's second-grade teacher at Hoglan Elementary School in Marshalltown, said she noticed at the beginning of the year that he was always very tired at school. He also wasn't eating. Harvey thought maybe he was anemic.
She told Eubanks that she thought Tyler should see a doctor. Eubanks had also noticed Tyler's exhaustion but at first chalked it up to late nights.
In a whirlwind week, Tyler saw a couple doctors, had a CAT Scan and was told to get to Iowa City immediately when the tumor was discovered.
"I've been teaching for 25 years, and I feel like I have a good handle on kids," Harvey said. "I want to do what is best for a child, and he was not well. Thank God I said something."
Looking at pictures of Tyler before the cancer, it is hard to believe that he is the same child. His blond locks are gone, lost to radiation. His rosy cheeks are noticeably absent, replaced by a pale complexion and dark circles under his eyes.
"He's definitely changed," Eubanks said. "He used to really like to interact with other kids, but he's more reserved now."
Tyler has ependymoma, a type of cancer that makes up about 9 percent of all pediatric brain tumors each year, according to the National Cancer Institute. This makes Tyler one of around 200 kids.
It takes a while before he is comfortable enough to pull down his hood and reveal the stubble of his new hair and several scars at the base of his head. Both Eubanks and Harvey say he is very self-conscious about his new image.
"I think he took his hat off for the first time [in class] about a week ago," Harvey said.
Tyler was missing from Harvey's classroom starting in late September while he was in Iowa City receiving treatments. During surgery, his doctor was able to remove 95 percent of the tumor, but extracting the rest would have been fatal. Radiation was used to shrink the remains that lay on his brain stem.
An MRI this month will determine whether Tyler will need chemotherapy.
After the surgery, he was paralyzed on his right side. While most of his functions have returned, the right side of his vocal chords are still paralyzed, making his voice barely more than a whisper. He must also be fed through a feeding tube in his stomach because he can't swallow.
But Tyler is now back in school.
"He's like a rock star at our school," Harvey said.
Her class talked about Tyler every day he was gone, she said.
Tyler said the kids ask him a lot of questions, but he's glad to be back. His school has collected 117 pounds of pop tabs for Tyler, and two more fundraisers are in the works.
Tyler's future remains uncertain, but Eubanks seems optimistic.
"They tell us that he has a 25 percent chance of seeing the next five years," said his mother. "I just look at that as a statistic. We just take it day by day and pray for the best outcome."
E-mail DI reporter Alyssa Cashman at:
alyssa-cashman@uiowa.edu
Tyler Harris
• Likes: Music, video games, baking, football, and the Hawkeyes.
• Dislikes: pizza
• Favorite Iowa City memories: going to the Children's Museum and meeting basketball player Seth Gorney
• Coming up: Gets to attend the NASCAR race of his choice through the Make a Wish Foundation and meet driver Tony Stewart.
• Has tickets and backstage pass to Brad Paisley concert.
He is clearly more comfortable answering mother Tina Eubanks' questions. She has been by his side all day, every day, starting about four months ago.
That was when Tyler was diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumor.
The events leading up to the diagnosis are unusual, exemplifying the important role teachers play in students' lives.
Julie Harvey, Tyler's second-grade teacher at Hoglan Elementary School in Marshalltown, said she noticed at the beginning of the year that he was always very tired at school. He also wasn't eating. Harvey thought maybe he was anemic.
She told Eubanks that she thought Tyler should see a doctor. Eubanks had also noticed Tyler's exhaustion but at first chalked it up to late nights.
In a whirlwind week, Tyler saw a couple doctors, had a CAT Scan and was told to get to Iowa City immediately when the tumor was discovered.
"I've been teaching for 25 years, and I feel like I have a good handle on kids," Harvey said. "I want to do what is best for a child, and he was not well. Thank God I said something."
Looking at pictures of Tyler before the cancer, it is hard to believe that he is the same child. His blond locks are gone, lost to radiation. His rosy cheeks are noticeably absent, replaced by a pale complexion and dark circles under his eyes.
"He's definitely changed," Eubanks said. "He used to really like to interact with other kids, but he's more reserved now."
Tyler has ependymoma, a type of cancer that makes up about 9 percent of all pediatric brain tumors each year, according to the National Cancer Institute. This makes Tyler one of around 200 kids.
It takes a while before he is comfortable enough to pull down his hood and reveal the stubble of his new hair and several scars at the base of his head. Both Eubanks and Harvey say he is very self-conscious about his new image.
"I think he took his hat off for the first time [in class] about a week ago," Harvey said.
Tyler was missing from Harvey's classroom starting in late September while he was in Iowa City receiving treatments. During surgery, his doctor was able to remove 95 percent of the tumor, but extracting the rest would have been fatal. Radiation was used to shrink the remains that lay on his brain stem.
An MRI this month will determine whether Tyler will need chemotherapy.
After the surgery, he was paralyzed on his right side. While most of his functions have returned, the right side of his vocal chords are still paralyzed, making his voice barely more than a whisper. He must also be fed through a feeding tube in his stomach because he can't swallow.
But Tyler is now back in school.
"He's like a rock star at our school," Harvey said.
Her class talked about Tyler every day he was gone, she said.
Tyler said the kids ask him a lot of questions, but he's glad to be back. His school has collected 117 pounds of pop tabs for Tyler, and two more fundraisers are in the works.
Tyler's future remains uncertain, but Eubanks seems optimistic.
"They tell us that he has a 25 percent chance of seeing the next five years," said his mother. "I just look at that as a statistic. We just take it day by day and pray for the best outcome."
E-mail DI reporter Alyssa Cashman at:
alyssa-cashman@uiowa.edu
Tyler Harris
• Likes: Music, video games, baking, football, and the Hawkeyes.
• Dislikes: pizza
• Favorite Iowa City memories: going to the Children's Museum and meeting basketball player Seth Gorney
• Coming up: Gets to attend the NASCAR race of his choice through the Make a Wish Foundation and meet driver Tony Stewart.
• Has tickets and backstage pass to Brad Paisley concert.
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