Charlotte toddler fighting cancer with clinical trial at Levine Children's Hospital

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A clinical trial at Levine Children’s Hospital is providing lifesaving treatment for a three-year-old Charlotte boy. 

Levine is one of 20 facilities in the country offering experimental care for children with neuroblastoma. 

Alicia and Brendan Mylton noticed their toddler, James, was sick and not acting like himself in July.

“He didn’t wanna get up and play with his friends, he didn’t wanna basically stand up and do anything fun,” Alicia said. 

A few days later, he could barely walk, so they took him to the hospital. That night, James was diagnosed with high-risk, stage four neuroblastoma.

“It was very scary,” Alicia said. “I feel like our lives changed overnight.” 

James’ oncologist, Dr. Erin Trovillion, recommended a clinical trial, which helped pave a path forward. 

“Now we know where to go before we didn’t have a clue,” Brendan said. 

The trial is one of many experimental treatments offered at Levine Children’s Hospital. For the Myltons, it means not having to travel states away for life-saving care.  

“If our family was separated for long periods of time, I think it would be a lot harder on [James] mentally,” Alicia said. 

Trovillion said the trial aims to limit the number of chemotherapy treatments patients need before they see results. 

“It’s adding a medication to our standard of care treatment for neuroblastoma to see if we can get more patients to respond after their first five cycles of treatment,” Trovillion explained. 

Thanks to this clinical trial, James has no evidence of disease in his body as of November.

“He’s had a fantastic response,” Trovillion said. “His tumor shrank a lot, making surgical resection a lot easier.” 

The Myltons said thanks to the lifesaving care, they’re seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.

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