Meet Thomas “Tom” Scott Boegler

Tom’s Story

Thomas was born on September 29, 2011, in Plantation, Florida. From the moment Tom entered this world, his personality was larger than life. He was kind, compassionate, and not afraid to speak his mind. His family meant the world to him and he was most happy while playing with his cousins. Tom was always down to have a party - it did not matter if there was an occasion or not, a dance-off was likely to take place.

February 2016 - At the age of 4, Thomas was diagnosed with Wilms Tumor. He spent 115 days at Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale. During his admission he had two surgeries, several rounds of chemo and radiation, and was able to come home in June 2016.

August 2016 - Thomas started Kindergarten, joined a t-ball team and a basketball team, and spent time with his dog Charley. He was thriving and living his best life. 

June 2018 - Thomas started summer camp and was loving every day. He began having scans every three months and it was determined there was no longer any evidence of disease (NED).

July 2018 - Thomas’ scan showed another tumor. He once again had a surgery and more chemo. We were back and forth from the hospital for treatment each week.

August 2018 - Thomas started hospital homebound with Broward Schools and received extra tutoring help for school from his Grandma whom he referred to as GG (“GG ACADEMY”).

November 2018 - A checkup scan showed another tumor had grown. Thomas had surgery, chemo, and for the first time began proton therapy. From this point forward, Thomas spent many days in the hospital as a result of complications from his treatment. Despite long stays in the hospital, nothing stopped Thomas from making the best of an otherwise horrible situation. His cousins and auntie would visit him often, he had dance parties with hospital staff, made slime with Child Life staff, and did crafts with his mom. This was our normal and pretty much all Tommy knew. He was very comfortable in the hospital and the nurses and doctors were his friends.

December 2018 - Thomas was chosen to be the Jr. Boat Captain at the Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade. He was able to enjoy Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s with his family while continuing outpatient treatment.

March 2019 - Thomas was admitted to the hospital for vomiting, which was a side effect of the proton therapy. The vomiting stopped, but Thomas was still sick. He was having trouble breathing and did not feel well. He was transferred to the PICU and it was determined he was septic. Thomas was intubated for two weeks as the doctors and nurses worked day and night to help him recover. After a long month, and lots of physical therapy, Thomas was released from the hospital in April 2019.

November 2019 - Thomas relapsed again and had surgery to remove the tumor. We tried all of the chemo and radiation treatments that were available locally. Sadly we began to run out of options and actively started looking for other aggressive treatments. One of our oncologists who trained at Memorial Sloane Kettering reached out to a solid tumors team, and MSK put together a plan for us to follow under the guidance of our local hospital until we could get to New York City.

March 2020 - The pandemic hit and we continued to stay in the hospital while Thomas completed more chemo treatments as we waited for Covid to end.

May 2020 -Thomas and his mom took a medical flight to NYC to get the new treatment at MSK. Over the next four months, Thomas had surgery, more chemo, a stem cell transplant, and additional radiation. This time in NYC was challenging, but Thomas and his mom made the best of it taking a private tour of the city to see the Hudson River (“where Sully landed the plane”).

September 2020 - Thomas and his mom flew home just in time for his 9th birthday. Thomas was thriving, he was in virtual third grade. He was able to see his family, his cousins, and have a sleepover with his auntie. Tommy was once again living his best life.

January 2021 - Thomas had his three-month scan, and It unfortunately showed multiple tumors had grown in his abdomen. Once again this was devastating news to Thomas and our family, as we had just completed what we thought would be the last of any treatment and Thomas would be cancer-free. Thomas’ team of doctors explained there was no cure, but they could try and slow the progression of the tumors. Thomas began a chemo pill, with the goal of keeping him happy, comfortable, and out of the hospital. Each remaining day was special. Thomas went to school face-to-face, went to the beach, flew a plane, played the Oculus, and had late-night gaming sessions with his cousin Ryan. Thomas was also honored at Ryan’s baseball game by throwing out the first pitch. He had a party with his Auntie Penny and got to see the special room she made for him at her house. He ate blueberry pancakes at Jet Runway Café (“my favorite restaurant in Fort Lauderdale”) and so much more.

April 2021 - Thomas started Hospice and had his special caretakers by his side every day. Thomas’ sense of humor, laughter, and personality were still very present.

May 4, 2021 - Thomas won the battle. He was finally free from cancer and no longer hurting. My Thomas, my world, my hero is now my forever angel.