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"They immediately sent us over to get an ultrasound," says father Joe Biggert.
That ultrasound revealed a 3lbs. tumor on Elliot's left side.
"She was like there's a 14 centimeter mass on the kidney and a small mass on the other side," says father Joe Biggert.
Further scans revealed a more troubling tumor on Elliot's lung called BB. They caught the lung tumor early and it wasn't malignant, but doctors told the Biggerts, had it gone undetected, the cancer could have changed quickly and spread to Elliot's brain. Mom Ashley shudders when she recalls she almost canceled the appointment.
"Because I was supposed to go out of town," says mom Ashley Biggert. "I was gonna wait a whole month and that tumor could have, both tumors could have grown bigger and who knows what could have happened."
Elliot's tumors are linked to a rare genetic mutation called Dicer 1, but unlike the 350 other children with it being tracked by the National Institutes of Health, only Elliot has had a recurrence of the cysts. He lost one kidney and part of the other in the first round of surgeries at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. Now he and his parents are bracing for another kidney surgery.
"His function would be compared to about stage 3 renal disease right now," says father Joe Biggert. "He may be at stage 4 renal disease. You don't get a transplant until stage 5."
The Biggerts are hoping for the best, hoping Elliot will be able to put off a transplant until he's older. On this point they're bullish: that well doctor visit saved their son's life and gave them a fighting chance to meet his health challenges head on. Elliot's next kidney surgery is scheduled for January. Doctors are checking his lungs every few months. So far there are no signs of cancer.
Monday, December 24 2012, 09:58 PM CST
Tennessee News
Hungry TennCare eating more of state budget
May 24, 2013 16:56 GMT
JACKSON, Tenn. (AP) -- State Treasurer David Lillard says expanding health care costs could absorb funding the state used to spend on other needs.
The Jackson Sun (http://bit.ly/16eqTpT ) reported Lillard talked about the potential impact of the Affordable Care Act on Tennessee finances as he spoke to the West Tennessee Association of Health Underwriters on Thursday.
Lillard noted the state budget that goes into effect July 1 contains $391 million in new revenue and more than $300 million of that will be consumed by TennCare.
Lillard said support for higher education could further erode as a result. In 1990, state revenue funded more than half the cost of state universities. That percentage has already declined to about 38 percent and could be further reduced.
Information from: The Jackson Sun, http://www.jacksonsun.com
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