Scans clear for Lawrenceville boy fighting cancer

ATLANTA - A brave little boy from Lawrenceville got wonderful news on Tuesday, two weeks after his last day of radiation: his scans are clear. 

Stephen “Duane” Butler Junior is only 5-years-old, but he’s so full of life. In May of 2013, when he was just 2-years-old, he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma and after having what was said to be a simple surgery, his right kidney was removed. His family said that surgery turned out to be lifesaving and after it he was doing well in school and living life as a normal 4-years-old. However, back in May he started to complain of unexpected leg pain and that’s when doctors found that the cancer had relapsed. The stage 4 cancer spread to his spine and bones. Duane had had six rounds of chemo and minor complications along the way, according to his family.

The week before Christmas, Duane had a bone marrow transplant and spent the holidays at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. He received treatment until mid-January.

On February 18, Duane had his final day of radiation.

"All of Duane's scans, bone marrow and labs came back negative," his mother said on Facebook. "His kidney function, which had us and the doctors concerned, is now working normal. That means God is healing. We are having a great week." 

Duane will now enter his final phase of treatment toward survivorship, which is antibody treatment. 

We learned about Duane’s battle with cancer through photographer Brandy Angel, who featured him on her website “Be The Change.” Angel works with both adults and children in need and helps share their stories and raise awareness through social media.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help pay for Duane's medical expenses. If you would like to donate, click here.