Oct. 14, 2014 | Keagan Provost runs almost everywhere he goes. And if he’s not running, the 4-year-old walks quickly with his head held high wearing a wide grin.

He and his family spend a lot of time in the UAMS Radiation Oncology Center. Keagan looks forward to his time there. It’s not difficult for him to make friends or to make every event, including radiation therapy, a fun one.

“He runs this area,” said Robin Unwer, Keagan’s mother. “When he arrives in the morning, he tells the nurses how to give him his anesthesia.”

Keagan has a primary brain tumor. He was first diagnosed when he was 13 months old when the family was living in upstate New York.

“He had stopped walking and became really unsteady,” said Unwer. “They kept telling us it was an ear infection.”

But Unwer and Keagan’s father Mike Provost felt it was something more.

“We just kept pushing forward with it,” Unwer said. “We finally found out Keagan had a brain tumor the size of a baseball.”

After his diagnosis, Keagan underwent an 11-hour surgery in Rochester. The family later moved to Conway. His cancer was considered to be in remission.

“We thought that was it,” Unwer said. “But in March 2013 he started to get sick again.”

“He developed a recurrence in the same area as the first.” said Jose A Penagaricano, M.D., professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology in the UAMS College of Medicine.

His tumor was removed at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in May. Keagan came to UAMS for radiation treatment, the only place in the state that treats pediatric cancer patients with radiation therapy.

“In November 2013, Keagan had his first clear MRI from that recurrence,” Unwer said. “They marked him as in remission.”

This July doctors discovered another recurrence away from the previous area of treatment. The preschooler is now going through his third course of radiation therapy.

Despite the treatments, it’s as if joy follows Keagan wherever he goes. While trotting through the halls of the Radiation Oncology Center, he leaves a trail of smiles as the doctors, nurses and other staff members watch his enthusiasm.

“He definitely has his loves,” Unwer says. “He loves Ms. Kelly, Ms. Angelia and Ms. Ginny. Dennis is his best friend in the world.”

“Mom, can I go play with Mr. Dennis now?” Keagan asked. Dennis Matlock, a patient transporter at the Radiation Oncology Center knows just what to do the keep Keagan happy.

“If Keagan is having a day when he’s not in the best of moods here at the Center, we know to just go grab Mr. Dennis,” Unwer said.

Matlock and Keagan exchange several high five and have conversations about Legos and Batman.

The journey has been nothing short of challenging for his parents. They’ve learned to keep their spirits high for each other – and especially for Keagan.

“It’s taken us a few years to figure out exactly how to handle it, Unwer said. “But we figured out that we must stay positive. If you’re not positive, they can sense it. They know what’s going on and they feed off of your energy.”

His parents must have a lot of energy. His days in the Radiation Oncology Center are filled with many high-fives, hugs, chatting, questions, and of course, running.

“He’s a tough kid,” Penagaricano said. “Kids are pretty resilient. They may feel sick one day. But once they feel better – they’ll let you know it.”

It is also home to the state’s only Tomotherapy HD unit, a treatment system that customizes radiation treatment delivery with precise radiation delivered from all angles. In addition, the system has the capability of treatment adaptation to changes in tumor size or patient’s anatomy.