3-year-old Wichita boy gets second chance to fight cancer thanks to mom, doctor, police

The mother of a 3-year-old Wichita boy cried as she hugged the doctor credited with saving her son’s life so he could continue to fight acute leukemia.

Cinthia Perales herself was credited by hospital staff Thursday at Wesley Medical Center for pushing to get answers. Perales took Max to the emergency room on Feb. 5, where he was diagnosed with a viral infection and given a primary care doctor to follow up with the next week.

But Perales knew things couldn’t wait. She pushed to have Max’s appointment moved up. Max was referred to see physician Catherine Bshouty the next day at the KU Wichita Pediatric Clinic.

“If you are a mom or dad and you don’t feel like you are getting answers, don’t stop asking,” Perales said at Thursday’s news conference. “Don’t stop asking.”

Perales said Max had gone through waves of having his strength to being weak for about a year.

“The signs that were there were there a long time, and he’s been to many doctors’ appointments.”

Bshouty sensed Max had more than a viral infection. Max looked pale, weak and had red dots on his skin, called petechiae. Perales also reported Max had been eating ice and drinking a lot of water, which can be signs of anemia, Bshouty said.

Max tested positive for Influenza B. Bshouty also ordered blood work.

Medical technologists Carol Coakley, John Renner and Nick Oswald at the Wesley Medical Center lab reviewed the blood samples. They concluded Max had signs of acute leukemia.

The technologists relayed the message to Bshouty, whose supervisor confirmed the results were alarming and advised to get help from the Wichita Police Department after failed attempts to reach the family.

Matt Perales, Max’s father, said their phones were dead after a long day.

Wichita Police officers Kevin Christy and Alex Bieler worked with Bshouty to notify the family. The officers knocked on the door at the Perales’ home between 9:30 and 10 p.m. Bieler said he handed the parents the phone since he didn’t feel comfortable relaying the medical details.

“A lot of times we are just responding to calls,” Bieler said. “We don’t always know what we are going to or how much it is going to impact people.”

Bieler was recognized for heroic action in 2018 after putting out the flames on a burning woman.

The officers took Max to the hospital, where doctors had blood and platelets ready for his arrival. Physician William Palko, a pathology expert, said Max’s level of hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to the organs and tissues, was below half of what is normal.

“Without the mom’s intuition, without Dr. Bshouty’s intuition, and with our techs and then the police officers, I can’t stress enough without those four Max probably would not be here,” Palko said. “To have a combination of influenza and leukemia … that’s just not gonna be survivable.”

Matt Perales said that Max is getting a little better. “He’s getting stronger again,” he said in a soft voice.

Max is undergoing leukemia treatment at Wesley Children’s Hospital.

A GoFundMe was set up to help with medical expenses. It raised $2,715 out of a $10,000 goal as of 4 p.m. Thursday. The GoFundMe is available at gofundme.com/f/max-leonidas039s-lukemia-fund.

This story was originally published February 27, 2020 at 4:52 PM.