Alex Lucas
Alex was born on June 4 to mom Catherine and dad Mark, joining his big sister Hayden to complete their family. Alex is a huge jokester, he loves to laugh and loves to make everyone around him laugh. His laugh is infectious and his parents can often hear him laughing with his sister from across the house. He loves to spend time outside, riding his bike when he's able, fishing with his dad and swimming. Alex is a great helper and wants to be a police officer when he grows up. He has an artistic spirit and loves to draw and doodle and make his family presents that he drew and leave them next to their beds for us to find. He is such a thoughtful and kind little boy. He loves gem stones, fast racing cars and more recently Duke basketball after going to his first game in December. On the weekends you can catch Alex drinking hot cocoa and watching cartoons with his sister. He loves time with his family and his cousins when they visit. He loves going to the beach or taking any trips that involve going on an airplane. He loves his preschool and has missed his friends so much through all of this. He loves pretending to be an army soldier and shooting "bad guys" with his nerf gun around our house
Diagnosis
The first symptoms that Alex's mom and dad noticed were some random head pain that he would mention occasionally, but nothing daily or even weekly, not even enough to really call a pattern. They then began to notice a slight dragging of his one foot about one week before being directed to the emergency room by Alex's pediatrician.
After their local ER conducted a CT scan, they were transferred by ambulance to Duke Children's where he underwent a brain biopsy. Although both Catherine and Mark work daily in the medical field as Physician Assistants, neither specializes in oncology or pediatrics and describe Alex's diagnosis as a complete shock. The biopsy left Alex with several new deficits but he has worked hard to steadily regain his strength. He underwent high dose radiation for fifteen treatments in October of 2025 and completed that round of treatment in November. First post raditation MRI was on December 1st and showed significant improvement in tumor size. He is now on Onc201 medication and is family is hoping it gives them more time with him as they continue to research additional treatment options and prioritize Alex's quality of life. Catherine says, "We wake up every day feeling grateful we get to hug and kiss him and hear him belly laughing with his crazy sister.'
​
The Lucas family is an inspiration as they face each day with hearts of hope and gratitude. The Archer Foundation is proud to walk alongside them as they love Alex through this journey.
