Father touts phenomenal care at ACH for son with leukemia

By William K. Alcorn

Mikey Howard has been treated for leukemia in Akron and in Boardman.

The nurses call him “Dr. Mikey.” “Dr. Mikey” is 5-year-old Mikey Howard, who was diagnosed with leukemia May 11.

Mikey’s father, Mike Howard of Boardman, explains the nickname.

Howard said the same three nurses usually take care of the kids in the clinic at Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley Beeghly Campus on Market Street in Boardman.

But, when he is on a regular floor and the nurses there do something different, he tells them “that’s not how my other nurses do it.”

So they dubbed him Dr. Mikey.

"May 11 started our living hell,” Howard said.

Mikey has been treated at Akron Children’s main campus in Akron and the Beeghly Campus in Boardman, where the treatments and care have been phenomenal, Howard said.

The care and compassion of the staff at Akron Children’s has made the process easier, he added.

“When you go to Akron Children’s, people in the halls greet you and ask what they can do for you. Any time we have a question or a problem or a concern, if they don’t have the answer, they find somebody who does and then they come looking for you,” he said.

Akron Children’s hospitals are also conveniently located for the Howards.

“Our house is four miles from the Beeghly Campus and 54 miles from the parking deck at Akron Children’s in Akron,” Howard said.

Mike and Nancy Howard have two other children, Sydney Howard, 4, and Paige DeRhodes, 11, whose lives are also affected by Mikey’s cancer.

Mikey gets tutored at home, and Sydney can’t go to preschool for fear she will pick up an infection and bring it home and endanger her brother, whose immune system is compromised by chemotherapy.

Canfield schools, where Paige attends the middle school, have been great, Howard said.

“They supply us with a tutor, and if something comes up with Paige’s classmates that could endanger Mikey, she comes home,” he said.

“We plan to do something special for Paige’s birthday,” which is Dec. 18, Howard said.

“It’s hard because Mikey can’t do much — just go to the doctor’s office and the drive-through. Right now, it’s all about him,” the father said.

Mikey’s cancer has been in remission for about two months. On Dec. 28, he is slated to go onto a maintenance program, and on Dec. 14, he is scheduled to begin precautionary radiation treatments.

Since he was diagnosed, Mikey has gone through several courses of chemotherapy and had numerous spinal taps and bone marrow aspirations. He participates in a clinical trial conducted by a national consortium of children’s hospitals, whose specialists periodically review his case and make suggestions to his primary-care physician.

The Howards knew something was wrong when Mikey developed bruises all over his body.

When his dad took him to preschool, he had to go to the bathroom and he started crying and said he hurt and felt terrible. He was then taken to Akron Children’s emergency department.

“All of a sudden no one would talk to me, and I’m thinking cops are coming because of the bruises,” Howard said.

Then the doctor came and said Mikey has leukemia.

“I started crying. Mikey pinched my eyes. He said, ‘Dad don’t cry,’” Howard said. “My whole world was shattered. I called my wife and a neighbor brought her to the hospital.”

She rode with him in the helicopter that took him to Akron Children’s main campus.

“We just prayed that the cancer would be the better one. On the second or third night we were in the hospital, the doctor told us it was treatable and curable. I didn’t hear another word. That’s what I needed to know,” Howard said.

Mikey’s cancer is T-cell acute lymphocytic (or lymphoblastic) leukemia.

“At first Mikey was confused and scared. On the second or third night, he grabbed my finger and I said, ‘What’s up buddy?’ He said, ‘Dad why am I sick?’ When I was able to talk, I just said, ‘Mikey, I don’t know,’” Howard said.

He knows he has leukemia, he knows it’s in his blood, he knows it is serious. He’s grown so much in the last six months, it’s unbelievable, his father added.

Mikey’s cancer isn’t the Howard’s first experience at Akron Children’s.

Sydney was born with a rare condition known as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a medical condition primarily seen in premature infants where portions of the bowel tissue dies.

When she was 5 days old, local doctors recommended they take her to either Cleveland, Pittsburgh or Akron Children’s for treatment.

“My cousin’s baby was at Akron Children’s, and I had heard nothing but good things,” Howard said, so Akron Children’s was chosen.

Fortunately, a 10-day regimen of antibotics cleared up the problem, and surgery was not necessary. Sydney is fine, he said.

Howard also is dealing with his own medical problems. While off duty as a Mahoning County deputy sheriff, he attempted to prevent the theft of a neighbor’s vehicle. He identified himself, and the thieves jumped into their van to escape.

While Howard was trying to get their license-plate number, he was struck by the van and suffered a serious shoulder injury. He can no longer work as a deputy and works for the American Red Cross as a phlebotomist.

Howard said he also wants to thank the pharmacists at the local CVS Pharmacy. “They have been unbelievable answering our questions and asking how Mikey is doing,” he said.

Mikey recently was granted a Make-A-Wish Foundation trip to Disney World in Orlando, Fla. He originally had wanted to go to Disneyland in California, so while he was there he could see Alcatraz Prison, Howard said.

“But, we’re all looking forward to Disney World. He deserves it, no doubt about that. All he wants to do is play football and play catch. ... He wants to be outside. ... He just wants to be a kid.”

alcorn@vindy.com