'You become so strong': Duncan, B.C., family enrolls infant son in clinical trial to treat leukemia
A Duncan, B.C., family’s unsuspecting trip to the ER out of due diligence for their son turned into a shock they never imagined: Their infant was diagnosed with leukemia, launching a whirlwind of treatments and many months spent away from home.
“He has just been such a tough little cookie,” says Bennett Cleugh’s mother, Ashley Wager.
At just nine months, Bennett has already spent nearly half his life under the close watch of doctors in hospital.
“It started with just a little bit of vomiting,” says Wager. “A few days went by and he stopped eating completely [and] I was like, ‘I think now is the time to take him in.”
It was September 2023. Bennett’s father dropped Wager off at the hospital and returned home to put their toddler, Madeline, to bed. Within hours of that ER visit, the parents received a diagnosis they never saw coming.
“It was scary. I got a phone call from Ashley and she’s like, ‘Put Madeline to bed.’ I was like, ‘Oh no, what’s going on?’ and I had to call her back a half hour later,” says Bennett’s dad Gilbert Cleugh. “Bennett’s got cancer. I was like, 'There’s no way.'”
Bennett was flown to BC Children’s Hospital that night – where he continues to receive care months later.
“It doesn’t get easier but you become so strong,” says Wager.
The family says Bennett has gone through two rounds of treatment, which has included chemotherapy. Now they’re hoping a clinical trial for treatment linked with physicians in Seattle will put the boy’s cancer into remission.
BC Children’s Hospital says the Seattle-based treatment is known as CAR-T therapy.
“CAR-T therapy harnesses a patient’s own immune cells (T cells) to fight their cancer,” a spokesperson wrote in a statement. “To deliver this treatment, scientists must isolate T cells from a patient’s blood sample, genetically modify and activate the cells to improve their ability to recognize and attack cancer cells; they are then re-administered to the patient.”
CAR-T therapy is not standard care for cancer treatment in B.C., outside of clinical trials.
“So we’re the first ones that are able to do it here at BC Children’s Hospital which we’re so grateful for. It’s hard being away from home as it is,” says Wager.
They’ve largely had to relocate to the Lower Mainland while Bennett receives care. Wager was on maternity leave when her son was diagnosed and her partner has had to step away from sheet metal work to also support his family.
“They’re like, Family comes first, so don’t worry about your job. You have it when you come back,'” says Cleugh.
Their hometown community has helped raise thousands of dollars through a GoFundMe page to help cover lost wages, travel expenses, meals, and eventual home renovations.
A bottle drive is also being organized at Island Return-It’s Duncan location on Feb. 3.
“It’s been a terrible way to figure out how loved we are,” says Wager. “It’s been overwhelming. We’re so grateful.”
If Bennett’s treatment goes to plan, his parents anticipate he’ll receive a bone marrow transplant in March, which they hope puts him on track for a homecoming in June or July.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump delivers rambling response to conviction in hush money trial
A day after a New York jury delivered a historic guilty verdict in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee held a press conference Friday where he spoke publicly about the conviction and his White House bid.
Mediterranean diet helps women live much longer, a large new study finds
Women who closely followed a Mediterranean diet lived much longer than those who did not, according to a new study that followed more than 25,000 women for 25 years.
How did Ontario's bankrupt 'Crypto King' travel the world on Scene+ points?
Newly released documents suggest Ontario’s so-called ‘Crypto King’ paid for months of world travels with $13,000 worth of Scene+ points while bankrupt – but how?
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Solutions coming for piled-up bodies outside Newfoundland hospital
Health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador say they are only weeks away from a solution to move unclaimed human remains out of roadside freezers and into a nearby hospital.
Actor Nick Pasqual charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing estranged girlfriend
An actor who has appeared in film and TV projects like 'Rebel Moon' and 'How I Met Your Mother' has been arrested and charged with stabbing his estranged girlfriend multiple times.
'Unprecedented': Human smuggling from B.C. to U.S. soars, using train, Uber and foot
American prosecutors and law enforcement officers say they're dealing with a huge increase in human smuggling from British Columbia.
The northern lights are returning to night skies across Canada this Friday
If you missed the brilliant displays of the aurora borealis over North America on May 10, you may have another chance to see them on Friday night.
Incendiary device thrown at Vancouver synagogue, Jewish Federation says
An incendiary device was thrown at a Vancouver synagogue Thursday night, leading to increased police presence at local institutions, the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver says.