Photo By Billie Suttles | 224th Officer Basic Course student 1st Lt. Dowlin Howell pictured at The Judge...... read more read more
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – “When the Army and JAG Corps say that people are the most important asset, they mean it. And they show it,” said 1st Lt. Dowlin Howell.
The 224th Officer Basic Course (OBC) student at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School should know. His 4-year-old daughter Davey was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma when she was just 17 months old. Howell credits the Army for making a parent’s worst nightmare, just a little more manageable.
“One night, Davey wasn’t feeling well. She just looked under the weather,” said Howell. “The next morning, the pediatrician felt a mass in her abdomen. Davey was admitted to the children’s oncology department at St. Joseph Hospital and by the time we went to bed that evening, Davey was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma. She had a tumor on the right side of her abdomen approximately the size of a grapefruit.
“Over the next week, she underwent additional diagnostics and was further diagnosed as stage IV, high risk.”
Faced with a dismal five-year survival rate of just 40 to 50%, the Howells started Davey on five rounds of chemotherapy right away. “For children as young as Davey, chemo is administered inpatient over the course of five plus days,” said Howell. “After chemotherapy, Davey needed surgery to remove the tumor. This surgery was performed in New York City at Memorial Sloan Kettering Children’s Cancer Hospital (MSK) by Dr. Michael LaQuaglia, the world’s leading surgeon for this type of cancer.”
Even though the cancer specialist successfully removed the tumor, Davey needed extensive follow-up. Follow-up that continues to this day. “After the surgery, we transferred all of Davey’s future treatment to MSK,” said Howell. “This included one last round of chemotherapy, 14 rounds of radiation, and five rounds of immunotherapy.
“She is still undergoing maintenance treatment and periodic scans. Every 90 days, Davey returns to MSK for scans and a vaccine developed at MSK to treat Neuroblastoma.”
The Army Reserve officer said the frequent trips from Florida where they live for medical care never posed an issue. “Shortly after Davey’s diagnosis, I was brought on orders at SOCOM (United States Special Operations Command),” said Howell. “My leadership made sure that I had the time off to travel to New York with Davey for her treatment. My immediate supervisor was a civilian, a retired Army Sergeant Major. He knew the importance of people and family to the Army and to the organization.”
Besides his Elsa loving warrior princess, Howell’s family includes wife Kristin, 11-year-old son Kellen and 2-year-old son Miles. Kristin is a registered nurse at the same Tampa hospital where Davey first received care. “I was introduced to my wife by my little sister Loren [in 2001]. Loren would show my high school senior photo to her friends and one day showed it to Kristin,” said Howell. “We dated through college and my enlistment in the Army. When I returned home from my first deployment [to Iraq in 2007], I dropped to one knee and pulled out the ring. And we haven’t looked back since.”
That journey so far has included a stint at the University of South Florida, five years on active duty including a second deployment to Iraq, a bachelor’s degree from Saint Leo University and a Juris Doctorate from Stetson University College of Law. “I initially had no intention of continuing my career in the United States Army after my first enlistment. I returned to my wife and my home in Florida and closed the book on that chapter of my life, or so I thought,” said Howell. “After a few months at home, I missed the uniform. I joined the Army Reserve in August of 2010 about eight months after leaving active duty.
“I was assigned to a CENTCOM (United States Central Command) unit based out of Orlando. I always felt like CENTCOM was my home in the Army and was assigned to a CENTCOM unit for the majority of my Reserve time. I was able to take my wife and son while on TDY in Boston. [We went] on the Freedom Trail, we saw the USS Constitution, Paul Revere’s house, and climbed the tower at the Battle of Bunker Hill.”
Moved by his little sister’s battle with cancer, Kellen, a rising sixth grader, recently organized a fundraiser. “Kellen is an excellent hockey player and the best big brother in the world. [His] team held a Gold Game (gold is the childhood cancer color),” said Howell. “The Gold Game raised $15K in one night at our local ice rink.”
In fact, the whole family is dedicated to giving back. “Only 4% of federally funded cancer research is allocated for pediatric cancer,” said Howell. “Over the last three years, through friends, family, and corporate donations, Kristin and I have helped raise over $50K. We will continue to raise money for pediatric cancer research until a cure is found.
“What I haven’t mentioned, but can’t go without being said, is the crucial role the United States Army has made in Davey’s treatment. In return, I give everything I have to the Army. I was recently offered a job with the Defense Intelligence Agency and will start that job when I return from OBC. I will be working in Foreign Disclosure, in the same office that I worked at SOCOM.”
| Date Taken: | 08.08.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.08.2024 12:48 |
| Story ID: | 478117 |
| Location: | CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 65 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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