Mom Warns Parents After She Says Son's Symptom for Pediatric Sarcoma Was Dismissed: 'Trust Your Intuition' (Exclusive)

The mum of a two-year-old boy diagnosed with cancer is urging parents to be persistent with doctors if they are worried something is wrong with their child.

Alison Miller’s son, Atlas, was 8 months old and just learning to walk when he fell and broke his arm. After being referred to an orthopedist, Alison and Atlas’ dad, Xavier, expressed his concern about a lump they had recently noticed on the child’s wrist.

“As parents, we know our children better than anyone else,” Miller tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview. “We expressed our concern about the lump on his wrist at every single meeting.”

Still, appointment after appointment, “concerns are brushed aside,” she says. “The doctor assured me and Atlas’ dad that the lump was ‘normal’.”

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Ultimately, Atlas had two casts placed on his left arm. After both casts came and went, the lump was still there. Doctors told the couple to let them know if the lump didn’t go away or if it got a little bigger.

“I took pictures of them every day, went out with them, and kept calling this doctor until they agreed to do more scans,” Miller says.

It was this insistence on imaging that led doctors to find a mass between Atlas’s ulna and radius. After an emergency referral to an orthopedic oncologist and surgeon, Atlas was diagnosed with pediatric sarcoma — a malignant tumor that can develop in children and young adults and occurs in the bones, soft tissue, fat tissue, joints, nerves, blood vessels or skin.

Atlas, son of Alison Miller.

Alison Miller

“His correct diagnosis is undifferentiated spindle cell sarcoma CIC-NUTM1 fusion, a rare and aggressive sarcoma with no cure for which the five-year survival rate is estimated to be 17% to 43%,” explains his mom.

Although it’s a heartbreaking diagnosis, Miller remains optimistic – and confident that she made the right decision by urging doctors to re-examine her son. won’t be here,” Miller tells PEOPLE.

Atlas, son of Alison Miller.

Alison Miller

There can be challenges with diagnosing pediatric sarcomas, mainly because they have symptoms that can overlap with other common injuries and diseases.

As Miller explains, “Atlas’ first symptom was weakened bones that were breaking; his second symptom was a mass.”

In sarcoma, lumps are painless and are usually found in the arms, legs, chest or abdomen.

“Atlas had growths in his left arm, next to his heart, in his lower back right next to his spine, and again in his chest right next to his heart,” Miller says.

As part of his treatment, Atlas had his left arm amputated and underwent open chest surgery, as well as “countless cycles of some of the harshest chemotherapy available, 53 rounds of proton radiation, and is currently in the sixth week of his first cycle for a clinical trial that we hope will extend his life,” says Miller.

August 2, 2024 marked two years since Atlas began treatment, and for Allison, the experience was a lesson in remaining persistent when it came to voicing concerns about a child’s health.

Alison Miller with her son Atlas and family.

Alison Miller

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“My advice to other parents would be to trust your gut,” she says. “Don’t let medical professionals dismiss your concerns because in some cases, early intervention and timely diagnosis can be the difference between life and death.”

With her family’s life turned upside down by Atlas’ diagnosis, Miller is now focused on spreading childhood cancer awareness.

Atlas, son of Alison Miller.

Alison Miller

“Atlas’ journey with cancer has changed our lives in so many ways and we will be his voice and advocates for him and all other children for the rest of our lives,” she says. “His diagnosis is terminal, but we will not give up on finding a cure.”

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Source: HIS Education