More than three years after being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), Michael Clay finally completed an extensive series of chemotherapy treatments through Children’s of Alabama in 2020 and was declared cancer-free. It was such a momentous occasion that his small hometown of Fruithurst near the Alabama-Georgia state line threw a celebration in his honor.

Moments like that make the physicians and cancer researchers at UAB celebrate as well. Mostly because they have achieved another positive outcome, but also because they usually have gathered important information through clinical trials that can be used to improve cancer care for future pediatric patients.

“In pediatric oncology, the family of every patient is offered a clinical trial if we have one, because that is the way we improve our outcomes over time,” says UAB associate professor Julie Wolfson, M.D., MSHS, a pediatric hematologist-oncologist and health services researcher. Wolfson also founded and serves as the Director of the UAB-COA-O’Neal Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Oncology & Oncofertility Program, where she supports pediatric and adult oncology patients across UAB. “We now have over 90 percent survival for patients with ALL, and it’s because these trials have enabled us to make systematic improvements to the therapies.”

“This was all new territory to me, so I called my oldest sister and she thought I should try it,” Clay says. “She said they’re not going to let a child go without proper treatment, so he’d be cared for. And the things they learn can help other children beat this in the future.”

Michael Clay

Michael’s mother, Kelly Clay, was not thinking about any of that when she made the drive from Fruithurst to Children’s of Alabama late in 2015. All she knew was her son was suffering from a variety of mysterious ailments, including swollen lymph nodes, and she was looking for answers.

When Clay received the leukemia diagnosis, she was told that one of the potential treatments involved a clinical trial being conducted by the Children’s Oncology Group, an international research collaboration involving more than 200 institutions, including Children’s of Alabama.

“This was all new territory to me, so I called my oldest sister and she thought I should try it,” Clay says. “She said they’re not going to let a child go without proper treatment, so he’d be cared for. And the things they learn can help other children beat this in the future.”

Michael’s situation was a bit more complicated than most because he has learning disabilities. As a result, Wolfson says, “We treated him very cautiously.” When Michael reacted poorly to some of the medications, the dosage was reduced. This enabled Michael to continue receiving treatments that were starting to eliminate the cancer, but it caused those treatments to take longer than expected.

“Because he was so fragile, he had quite a few complications that we had to provide supportive care for,” Wolfson says. “He had a rough time, but we knew this treatment was going to be the best option for him.”

The outcome certainly has been positive, as Michael recently reached the all-important five-year mark since his treatment ended and remains in remission.

“The people at Children’s absolutely made the whole thing as easy to handle as it could possibly be,” Clay says. “They took such good care of Michael and treated him like he was a superstar. They are so good with everyone they work with there.”