Georgia Boy, 9, Beats Childhood Cancer After 2.5 Years

When Colton Poulnott started coughing in January 2021, his parents thought it was just a regular virus. But the cough kept coming back, and doctors would soon discover a mass near his esophagus.

Two weeks before his fourth birthday, Colton received a diagnosis that would change his family's life: lymphoblastic lymphoma. The Forsyth, Georgia family suddenly faced two and a half years of intense treatment ahead.

"I didn't go to school to be a nurse," says Colton's mom, Rachel Poulnott. She and her husband Clay had to learn how to give their son chemotherapy shots at home while also caring for their daughter, Reese.

The treatment stretched on for months, then years. Reese remembers missing her brother during his frequent hospital stays and treatments. "I really missed him a lot, but when he came back he ran into the house and we were both like, Reese, Colton. I was so excited," she recalls.

In August 2023, after 30 months of fighting, Colton finally got his moment. He rang the cancer-free bell, marking the end of his treatment and the start of a new chapter.

Sunny's Take

Today, nine-year-old Colton is living the life every fourth-grader should. He's back on the baseball field and zipping around on his scooter, doing all the things that cancer tried to steal from him.

His family shares their story during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month not just to celebrate Colton's victory, but to highlight how much families depend on continued research and support. Every donation and every bit of awareness brings hope that more children will get the same chance Colton has.

The Poulnotts learned strength they never knew they had, and Colton proved that even the smallest fighters can win the biggest battles.

Now he's just a regular kid again, and that's the most extraordinary news of all.