Boy, 6, hails Miami doctor as ‘hero’ for saving mom

During emotional Christmas Eve meeting, boy thanks Miami Cancer Institute oncologist

When his teacher asked him to name a hero, one 6-year-old could have chosen Spider-Man, Batman or Superman. Instead, he picked Miami Cancer Institute at Baptist Health South Florida Dr. Michael Chuong.

“He saved my mom’s life ... helps people with cancer,” Connor Broadley wrote on a form his teacher provided, which made it to the hands of Baptist Health South Florida executives.

Connor’s mother was diagnosed with anal cancer in September 2018.

The radiation oncologist, who specializes in the treatment of gastrointestinal and head and neck cancers, was also the subject of Connor’s arts-and-crafts project.

On Tuesday, the hospital allowed reporters to witness Connor’s Christmas Eve meeting with Chuong.

“I am glad to say all her scans are negative,” Chuong said, adding that Connor’s mother benefited from cancer-killing proton radiation therapy technology, which due to its pencil-beam precision causes fewer side effects than traditional X-rays.

The mother has no evidence of the disease currently.

Chuong is the director of the Miami Cancer Institute’s Proton Center. He is a graduate of Brandeis University and the University of South Florida and an assistant professor at Florida International University.

“What a great job I have,” Chuong wrote on Twitter.

Connor is in first grade at Waters Edge Elementary.