WASHINGTON TWP. -- A Washington Township teen is dealing with more than comics and video games.
Colin Beach is battling a rare form of cancer and the specialized treatments he's receiving are part of the Medicaid program that could be cut.
"I have 11 tumors in both of my eyes, leaving me blind in my left eye and I'm also missing the RB1 gene, so if I was to get another cancer I wouldn't be able to fight it," said Beach.
Colin has been blind in his left eye since he was 5 month old and has gone through more than 30 surgeries.
"He was getting chemo within a week so they had to do surgery. They were talking about possibly removing part of his eye,'' said Maureen Beach, Colin's mother.
Thanks to specialists at Dayton Children's Hospital, that didn't happen. Officials with Dayton Children's say this type of care for medically complex conditions is funded by Medicaid and doesn't get top priority.
"And that funding frequently gets cut so we always have to go back and ask for it, so I wish it would just be part of the legislation that passes and we don't have to fight for it so much because our kids need those pediatric specialists," said Jessica Sanders with Dayton Children's Hospital.
Colin's family went to Capitol Hill to rally support from federal legislators. They talked to lawmakers about his condition and the need for the financial support.
"It was a way to bring advocacy through the families and it was amazing to me how much they really sat and listened and really tried to understand the process because like we've always said if you haven't lived it you really don't know," said Beach.
The Beach family says they hope lawmakers will think of Colin when they're making decisions about Medicaid funding. They say he's living a more normal life thanks to his doctors at Dayton Children's.
"You have to trust them and what happens is they become your family and you really need them to get through everything because you just want to be a mom of a kid with cancer," said Beach.
The Beach family was one of 36 families that lobbied on Capitol Hill to try to gain support from lawmakers.
Colin Beach is battling a rare form of cancer and the specialized treatments he's receiving are part of the Medicaid program that could be cut.
"I have 11 tumors in both of my eyes, leaving me blind in my left eye and I'm also missing the RB1 gene, so if I was to get another cancer I wouldn't be able to fight it," said Beach.
Colin has been blind in his left eye since he was 5 month old and has gone through more than 30 surgeries.
"He was getting chemo within a week so they had to do surgery. They were talking about possibly removing part of his eye,'' said Maureen Beach, Colin's mother.
Thanks to specialists at Dayton Children's Hospital, that didn't happen. Officials with Dayton Children's say this type of care for medically complex conditions is funded by Medicaid and doesn't get top priority.
"And that funding frequently gets cut so we always have to go back and ask for it, so I wish it would just be part of the legislation that passes and we don't have to fight for it so much because our kids need those pediatric specialists," said Jessica Sanders with Dayton Children's Hospital.
Colin's family went to Capitol Hill to rally support from federal legislators. They talked to lawmakers about his condition and the need for the financial support.
"It was a way to bring advocacy through the families and it was amazing to me how much they really sat and listened and really tried to understand the process because like we've always said if you haven't lived it you really don't know," said Beach.
The Beach family says they hope lawmakers will think of Colin when they're making decisions about Medicaid funding. They say he's living a more normal life thanks to his doctors at Dayton Children's.
"You have to trust them and what happens is they become your family and you really need them to get through everything because you just want to be a mom of a kid with cancer," said Beach.
The Beach family was one of 36 families that lobbied on Capitol Hill to try to gain support from lawmakers.