Meet Katie Pederson: age 21, straight-A University of Wisconsin student, Green Bay Packers fan, and a cancer survivor against all odds. Thanks to NASA-sponsored medical research and the commitment of Dr. Harry Whelan, Pediatric Neurologist at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Katie and many children with bleak health prospects are now living longer, better lives.

A Time for Drastic Measures

Katie was diagnosed with malignant ependymoma, brain cancer, at the age of 11. She underwent repeated treatments of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation, but each time, the cancer would reappear about six months after the treatment was completed. With all traditional treatment sources exhausted, Katie and her family turned to Dr. Harry Whelan and his team who were treating kids in no-hope scenarios. Katie fit the profile.

Dr. Whelan pioneered the treatment of cancerous tumors in terminally-ill children using an innovative form of chemotherapy called photodynamic therapy. This treatment protocol combines the cell specificity of chemotherapy with the location specificity of laser surgery, i.e., the light emitting diode (LED) probe activates light-sensitive cancer drugs precisely at the site of the cancerous tissues. Healthy, untreated skin and tissues remain intact while the cancer is attacked.