Finding new hope through advanced proton therapy

When four-year-old Ieuan Magat started bringing books close to his face, his mother, Roda Shane, assumed he needed glasses.

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Four-year-old Ienan Magat (center) with Dr. Lee Kuo Ann (standing behind him) and the medical team of Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital

What she did not expect was a doctor's diagnosis revealing craniopharyngioma, a rare brain tumor pressing against his optic nerves and threatening to take away his sight.

Roda sat in the hospital as doctors explained what that meant. The tumor came with a long list of complications, including vision loss and hormonal imbalance. Before his fifth birthday, Ieuan lost sight in his right eye.

She searched for hospitals beyond the Philippines, sending emails to medical centers around the world. Days passed with little to no response, until she heard back from Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital in Singapore.

At that time, Dr. Lee Kuo Ann, a radiation oncologist at the hospital, was visiting Manila for a medical lecture. A representative from IHH Healthcare Philippines showed him Ieuan's scans. The doctor immediately saw the severity of the case.

"There was a large tumor pressing on the nerves of the eyes," Dr. Lee said. "I recommended surgery [in the Philippines] followed by radiation therapy [in Singapore.]"

However, the public hospital system in the Philippines faced long waiting lists and limited access to advanced treatment. Ieuan had to wait ten months before surgery could be performed at the Philippine General Hospital. During that time, the tumor grew larger, further affecting his vision and sensation to temperature.

When surgery finally happened, doctors managed to reduce the tumor's size, but the damage to his nerves could not be repaired.

"He asked why everything went black," Roda told the media in Filipino. "I did not know how to answer."

Despite that, Ieuan recovered faster than expected and remained cheerful throughout the process.