Six-year-old patient has a laugh

Six-year-old Chinese patient Stephen is escorted by two MD Anderson PTC staff dressed up as cartoon characters to meet with medical staff.

"Stephen is above average in terms of weight and height. His development is normal and not affected by the treatment at all," added his mother.

Stephen's fatherwas also impressed by how his son enjoyed coming here.

"He was given different toys every time he came," he said. "There was no pain involved. For needles, topical anesthesia was applied every time. To him, it's fun to come here. When we took him to receive treatment in China, the cries of children was constantly heard. Children were given needles without pain-relief. It was unpleasant."

Stephen’s proton therapy was not a major part of his total cost. Preventative measures during the treatment, hospitalization, international travel and living in Houston for five months meant a large overall bill.

"After seeing how the treatment was conducted and the results, we feel that it was well worth it," Stephen’s father said.

"Here, dosage and frequency are customized individually. Also, various medicines were incorporated along with chemotherapy to prevent serious side-effect to improvequality of life," Wang explained.

After being greeted by GG Bond and FeiFei and given toys, Stephen entered a corridor and met with some of the medical staff members he had become friends withduring his five-month treatment. They laughed, talked and posed for photos.

Leo Flores, a nurse at MD Anderson PTC, presented a surprise gift to Stephen and his parents: a portrait of GG Bond on an 8-by-8-foot canvas.

"I learned that he likes this Chinese TV show and painted his favorite character for him. I enjoy painting, and I have been doing this for our little patients for a couple of years now. I do it whenever I get a chance," said Flores, adding that it took him a week to finish the painting.

Stephen's parents took the painting off the wall, rolled it up, and told their son, "We will hang this in your bedroom."

Little Stephen laughed happily.