LOCAL ENGINEER AND FATHER
DIAGNOSED WITH ONE OF THE MOST
DEADLY CANCERS.
I SAID GIVE ME THE NUMBERS
TELL ME THE NUMBERS.
1 OR TWO YEARS 50%.
4 YEARS ZERO PERCENT.
THAT WAS 5 YEARS AGO.
THERE IS NO QUESTION KENT IS
BEATING THE ODDS BUT HE'S NOT
DOING IT ALONE.
NO YOU DON'T FIGHT THAT
BATTLE BY YOURSELF.
TONIGHT IN GOOD HEALTH.
DR. FRANK McGEORGE HAS THE
STORY BEHIND KENT INCREDIBLE
JOURNEY AND THE MESSAGE HIS
FAMILY WANTS EVERYBODY TO HEAR.
IN 2010 KENT HARRIS
DEVELOPED A LUMP ON THE SIDE OF
THE NECK.
HE TRIED TO IGNORE IT BUT HIS
GIRLFRIEND SCREEN FERRY
EVENTUALLY INSISTED HE SEE A
DOCTOR.
IT WAS CANCER.
HE NEEDED CHEMO AND RADIATION
BUT THOUGHT THE CANCER WAS GONE
FOR GOOD. NO IDEA OF THE FIGHT
HAD ONLY JUST BEGUN.
NOR KENT OF NORTHVILLE 2011
WAS YEAR TO REMEMBER.
HE AND JENNIFER GOT MARRIED.
THEY ADOPTED AT BOY FROM
RUSSIAN A.BRINGING MAX HOME
JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS.
BUT ALL TOO SOON CANCER CAME
CALLING.
YOU MIGHT WANT TO COME SEE
ME TODAY.
WE HAVE SEEN A SPOT.
Reporter: KENT FORMER
ONCOLOGIST THE CANCER WAS BACK
AND HAD SPREAD.
AT FIRST NO ONE COULD AGREE ON
WHAT KIND OF CANCER IT WAS.
BUT KENT WAS EVENTUALLY
DIAGNOSED WITH STAGE 4 MEL
DIAGNOSED WITH STAGE 4
MELANOMA.
FOR THE NEW DAD THE NEWS WAS
DEVASTATING.
I REMEMBER TELLING MY SISTER
NOW LOOK THE ONLY THING I WANT
TO DO IS SEE HIM GO TO
KINDERGARTEN ALL I WANTED TO
DO.
BUT THIS.
GIVE ME THAT LONG.
HEART BREAKING.
STILL IS.
YOU HOPE AND PRAY THAT THAT
WILL HAPPEN.
Reporter: JENNIFER BECAME
WHAT SHE CALLS AN AGGRESSIVE
RESEARCHER.
HAD HE WENT TO ANDERSON IN
TEXAS BUT FOUND THE BEST
TREATMENT OPTIONS AT THE CANCER
INSTITUTE IN DETROIT.
KENT RESPONDED TO NEW TARGETED
THERAPY CALLED THIS UNTIL THE
CANCER BECAME RESISTANT.
FORTUNATE ASPECT OF THE
CANCER CENTER IS THAT WE HAVE A
PROGRAM REFERRED TO AS PHASE
ONE PROGRAM WHICH GIVES PEOPLE
THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET ACCESS
TO NEW TREATMENT AS THEY ARE
DEVELOPING.
SO KENT WAS ABLE TO GET INTO
THE PROGRAM.
HE WAS ABLE TO GET ACCESS TO A
DRUG THAT IS STILL IN COMMON
USE FOR MELANOMA TODAY.
AFTER SUFFERING A SEIZURE ON
FAMILY OUTING KENT LEARNED HE
HAD LESION IN THE BRAN TOO.
18 LESION IN MY BRAIN AT ONE
TIME.
IT HAS BEEN CANCER VERSION
OF THIS.
KENT CANS WORE POP UP SOMEWHERE
NEW AND DOCTORS PIND A NEW
TREATMENT TO KNOCK IT BACK
DOWN.
HE'S A FIGHTER.
NEW DAD AND HE NEVER STOPPED
WORKING AND JUST AMAZING TO ME.
HE COULD GO ON LIKE THAT.
Reporter: TWO YEARS AGO.
THE SCAN CLEAR HEAD TO TOE.
NOT HEAD TO TOE.
CHIN TO TOE. NO CANCER SEEN.
NO IDEA WHY.
Reporter: DOCTORS AMAZED.
YOU WON THE LOTTERY.
I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE
THIS.
I THINK A MIRACLE REALLY.
MECHANICAL ENGINEER KENT
NOSE HE'S BEATING THE ODDS.
NOTIFY IDEA HOW IT WAS
FIXED.
I DON'T KNOW HOW IT WAS BROKEN.
BUT IT IS SO I'LL
Reporter: MAX NOW 5 YEARS
OLD.
START KINDERGARTEN IN THE FALL.
I DON'T HAVE THOSE THOUGHTS
NOW IF I COULD REACH HIGH
SCHOOL GRADUATION.
I DON'T THINK THAT WAY.
WE DON'T HAVE CANCER NOW. I'M
GOING TO JUST ASSUME I'M DONE.
WON'T GET SCAN EVERY YEAR AND
ALWAYS GOING TO BE GOOD.
THE ONLY WHICH TO THINK
ABOUT IT.
Reporter: FOUND A SECOND
FAMILY OF SORTS.
THEY KNOW THE CUTTING EVENLY
RESEARCH TAKING PLACE.
THERE IS LITERALLY A MATTER OF
LIFE AND DEATH.
FOR US EVERYTHING.
CLINICAL TRIAL RESEARCH IS
EVERYTHING.
DON'T HAVE TO BE THE FASTEST
GAZELLE.
DON'T HAVE TO BE THE SLOWEST.
Reporter: HOPE THE RESEARCH
CAN CONTINUE TO OUT RACE THE
CANCER.
MOST OF ALL THEY WANT OTHERS TO
LEARN ABOUT THE RISK OF
MELANOMA.
CAN'T SPEND LONG SUMMER DAYS IN
THE SUMMER AS A CHILD BUT NO
ONE EVER FOUND THE ORIGINAL
SOURCE OF HIS MELANOMA.
SOMETHING WE DIDN'T SEE OR
DISAPPEARED OR I DIDN'T THINK
IT WAS SOMETHING TO LOOK FOR.
NEVER GONE TO DERMATOLOGIST IN
MY LIFE.
JUST GO ONCE A YEAR.
IT'S EASY. IT'S SIMPLE.
IF THEY HAVE TO TAKE THINGS OUT
IT'S NOT PAINFUL.
JUST DO IT.
THAT MAY SAVE YOU FROM WHAT WE
HAVE GONE TLISHTION FOR THE
HARRISON FAMILY LIFE GOES ON.
I DON'T THINK ABOUT IT EVERY
DAY.
I DON'T THINK HOW AMAZINGLY
LUCKY WE ARE.
JUST IS.
Reporter: KENT HAS HAD TO
HAVE 4 BRAIN SURGERY OVER THE
PAST TWO YEARS TO REMOVE AREAS
OF DEAD TISSUE CAUSING SEIZURE
BUT MOST RECENT SCAN WAS STABLE
AND THAT'S A GOOD THING.
NOW TOMORROW IS MELANOMA MO
NOW TOMORROW IS MELANOMA
MONDAY.
IT'S A DAY DESIGNED TO RAISE
AWARENESS ABOUT THE MOST DEADLY
FORM OF SKIN CANCER.
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