Landon's Story
Dr. Boop gives a second-opinion to 8-year-old Landon's diagnosis of a brain tumor.
A Life-Saving Second Opinion
Just under a year ago Traci, who lives out of state, noticed that her son Landon was having severe headaches, trouble maintaining his balance, and was appearing to have small seizures. “My son is a very vibrant little boy who loved to play basketball, baseball, and soccer.” Traci noticed these symptoms were impacting Landon’s quality of life.
She made an appointment with her local neurologist and neurosurgeon who performed an MRI and diagnosed Landon with a brain tumor (astrocytoma) on his right temporal lobe. The diagnosis came with a shock and the recommendation to hold off on removing the tumor for six months so the doctors could monitor the tumor’s growth. From there, they would make a decision on surgery.
Upon hearing this, Traci felt she needed to get a second opinion as waiting six months seemed too risky. She did her own research and came across Dr. Frederick Boop here in Memphis.
“He does surgeries for people who come from Africa and all over the world. He’s the best in the U.S. and I wanted the best for Landon.”
Traci sent off Landon’s MRI to Dr. Boop, not expecting what would happen next.
As soon as Dr. Boop reviewed Landon’s MRI record, he knew that he needed to perform surgery right away. He discovered that the tumor had spread to Landon’s optic nerve and his brain stem, not just the temporal lobe.
While Boop was ready to do the surgery in Memphis, Traci encountered another problem when her insurance company denied coverage of the surgery since it was out of state.
“We were denied by the insurance company and so, as a mother trying everything, I did an emergency appeal. It was denied again. During that time Dr. Boop also did a peer-to-peer appeal with the physicians at the insurance company. It was also denied.”
After the final denial from her insurance, Dr. Boop further took matters into his own hands and contacted St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“Thanks to Dr. Boop, St. Jude heard our story and agreed to pick up his surgery even though we weren’t patients of theirs yet.”
Landon traveled to Memphis for his surgery and Dr. Boop was able to successfully remove the tumor. After the surgery, he informed Traci that if she had she waited six months, the tumor would have been inoperable. Landon just had his 9th birthday in May.
“We love Dr. Boop. He is our hero and I feel that I owe that man everything. He will always have a special place in our hearts. He really does care about the patients and the families and he’s very open and honest about what’s going on. He doesn’t sugar coat it but he makes sure he gets across what he needs you to know.”
Semmes Murphey is happy to hear that Landon is in recovery and doing well. We are thankful to have Dr. Boop on our team of talented physicians and staff, where without them, stories like this wouldn't be possible.
“They are a wonderful family that I'm proud to have been part of for a time. They came to Memphis after no one in their area wanted to take the tumor out. Now, I am happy to say that the child has no more seizures and is doing well.” - Dr. Boop