LaCrosse boy continues long battle against cancer

Erik Binks is not quite two years old and is fighting for his life.

Last April he was diagnosed with a deadly cancer, neuroblastoma.

His mother, Cheryl Binks, said she noticed that Erik was trying to walk, but he stumbled. He had a fever and was not eating or drinking. At first doctors thought it was pneumonia, but they said it could also be a tumor.

After taking Erik to Seattle, tests revealed that a rare form of childhood cancer was attacking his body, and doctors believe it might have been in his body before he was born.

He has been a patient at Seattle Children’s Hospital since his diagnosis and has undergone rounds of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, stem cell harvest and was preparing for a bone marrow transplant this month, but a scan showed a new tumor. Doctors postponed the transplant to do surgery to remove the new tumor.

However, after surgery, Erik contracted an infection and developed a blood clot and he was admitted into ICU. Doctors discovered more tumors and he had another round of chemo.

He has been in ICU since the beginning of April.

Cheryl has been at Erik’s side at Children’s Hospital in Seattle since April, leaving her home in LaCrosse. The first surgery to remove a tumor took a total of 24 hours, with surgeons taking shifts. Doctors said it would take four weeks to recover from the surgery.

Although Erik is on a ventilator, he’s still facing another round of chemotherapy.

“We don’t know if he’ll ever get a bone marrow transplant,” Cheryl said.

A transplant is the best way to fight this form of cancer.

When Erik almost lost his battle recently, the family was called to say good-bye, but Erik rallied.

“We’ve almost lost him four times,” Cheryl said.

“He’s my little fighter,” she said.

Erik has gone through contracting e. coil after one surgery almost taking his life and now is developing clots everywhere.

“We just try to stay calm and love him,” Cheryl said. “But it’s been a real roller coaster.”

Cheryl said she has experience in family members dying and listed several who have died and how she has dealt with death.

“I just put everything in God’s hands,” she said.

She also said that Erik’s older brother, Alex, 10, has also handled his brother’s sickness very well.

“I am so proud of Alex,”, Cheryl said. “He’ll sing and talk to him.”

“I tell him to enjoy your brother and love your brother,” she said.

Cheryl said that she began this journey as a single mother, but her husband, Lyle, came back after being absent for two months.

“I’m letting him back,” she said Sunday afternoon.

Cheryl also acknowledged the LaCrosse community has rallied around the family.

“LaCrosse has been helping me quite a bit, paying bills, taking care of my animals,” Cheryl said.

“I’m very grateful. We have a town that’s helping us. I can’t ever repay it,” she said.

She said a Spokane foundation also is providing assistance.

The town of LaCrosse has been raising funds to support them.

LaCrosse Superintendent Doug Curtis said LaCrosse school picks a cause to support and this year the school decided to pick Erik and his family.

“The school has been raising more than $100 each week with the ‘Hats for Erik’ campaign, which we have been doing for the past five weeks and will continue to do for the entire school year,” Curtis said.

Curtis said the goal is a minimum of $100 each week and they have surpassed it each week. The school has raised about $1,000 so far. Hats are not allowed at school, but if someone chooses to wear a hat, they must pay $1, which goes toward the campaign.

Although the family has been through a lot of tough times, they also have had some happy times.

Cheryl said the family has attended a couple of Seattle Seahawks games, but one highlight was when some Seahawks came to the hospital.

“We were all in Erik’s room when there was a lot of commotion and a nurse grabbed Alex to take him into the hall,” Cheryl said.

Seahawks defensive back Richard Sherman paused for a moment to get his picture taken with Alex. Sherman had some advice for Alex.

“You knock those kids flat,” Sherman told him.

Other Seahawks players and the cheerleaders and the Gonzaga basketball team also visited patients at the hospital.

The prognosis for Erik according to Cheryl is quality rather than quantity.

The next round of chemotherapy is the family’s next hope.

“We let him open some Christmas presents,” Cheryl said.

“It’s more about sharing and having time with him.”

Erik’s second birthday is Jan. 9.

“We take it one day at a time.”