Surgeon tells how 9-year-old British boy touched his heart when they first met

When Kansas physician Howard Rosenthal first met a new 9-year-old cancer patient — an upbeat boy who came all the way from the United Kingdom praying that Americans could help him — the boy melted Rosenthal’s heart.

During a press briefing Wednesday after extensive surgery on that patient, Rosenthal recounted his first interaction with young Alexander Goodwin, a nature lover battling Ewing’s sarcoma.

“He took my hand in both of his hands and he told me, ‘I am sure you will do a remarkable job,’ ” Rosenthal said while sitting next to Alex’s father, Jeff Goodwin, a British constable. “And hearing that from a 9-year-old with a British accent gives me inspiration.”

Rosenthal, an orthopedic oncology surgeon, also explained the extensive surgery done Wednesday at the University of Kansas Hospital, which is collaborating with Children’s Mercy Hospital on Alex’s medical treatment in the United States.

This story was originally published January 12, 2017 at 12:20 PM with the headline "Surgeon tells how 9-year-old British boy touched his heart when they first met."