An 8-year-old Swisher boy who overcame a rare childhood cancer will be recognized as a University of Iowa Hawkeyes Kid Captain when the Hawkeyes take on Purdue this Saturday.
Beau Byers was just 3 years old when he began experiencing severe stomach pain. After several visits to local health care providers failed to identify the cause, his parents, Laura and Nate Byers, took him to University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
An ultrasound revealed a softball-sized tumor in his bladder. Beau was diagnosed with stage III, group III embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare soft-tissue cancer that develops from embryonic skeletal muscle tissue.
According to University of Iowa Health Care, approximately 350 new pediatric cases of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma are diagnosed each year, making it an uncommon cancer.
Beau underwent surgery to remove most of the tumor, followed by 42 weeks of chemotherapy, six months of maintenance therapy and 33 radiation treatments. Scans also revealed the cancer had spread to two lymph nodes near his bladder.
Throughout the difficult treatment process, Beau’s family received support from the doctors, nurses and Child Life team at Stead Family Children’s Hospital. His older brother, Lane, also showed his support by shaving his head in solidarity with Beau.
Today, Beau’s cancer is in remission, and he has returned to enjoying childhood. Now a second grader, he stays busy with baseball, basketball, soccer, running club, climbing and fishing. He also enjoys building forts, making paper airplanes, and exploring his interests in art and fashion.
His mother, Laura, describes him as a social butterfly who brings laughter and energy wherever he goes. Beau continues to receive regular checkups, with his most recent scans showing stable and clear results.
Beau will be honored through the Kid Captain program, now in its 17th year. The program is a partnership between University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital and the Iowa Hawkeyes. It recognizes pediatric patients and celebrates their inspiring stories, strength and journeys through health care.
The Byers family expressed gratitude to the Stead Family Children’s Hospital team for the care and support that helped Beau through his cancer journey.
For more information about the Kid Captain program and Beau’s story, visit uichildrens.org/kid-captain.
Source: University of Iowa Health Care – Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
