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CBS News featured Audrey Lindsay and her mother Kimberly Lindsay. CBS News Correspondent Tom Hanson covers Audrey’s journey with cancer and how her chemotherapy medicine from coral reef ecosystems is saving her life. Watch the story here.

In January, Audrey was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). CBS News spoke with Holly Pacenta M.D., Cook Children’s pediatric oncologist, about Cytarabine, the “backbone” medicine of Audrey’s chemotherapy. “She couldn’t be cured without this medicine” says Dr. Pacenta.

Cytarabine prevents cancer cells from replicating and comes from the sea sponge within coral reef ecosystems. Audrey is just one example of the 500,000 Americans living with leukemia that are treated with this chemotherapy. Saving these coral reefs essentially means saving lives. “There’s layers and layers of reasons to keep these reefs intact…Audrey is one big reason” says Hanson.

Just a few days before the interview, the Lindsay’s were told Audrey’s medicine is working and she is in remission. “If we didn’t have those habitats, we wouldn’t know all that we could be taking advantage of and putting to use in such a magical way to heal our children,” says Lindsay.

In 2020 there were nearly 4,000 new cases of leukemia in Texas (these were the last numbers available from the CDC). The national demand for medications that depend on marine habitats has jumped nearly 1400% in the past decade, totaling more than 3 million prescriptions in 2021.

Three-year-old Rylee McLemore and his dad Steven do everything together. Fishing, driving in the Jeep and exploring outdoors are just a few of their favorite pastimes.

“Rylee is a daddy’s boy,” Steven said. “He is my best friend and I’m his anchor.”

Everything changed in October 2021 when Rylee began experiencing fever, fatigue, bruising and a lack of appetite. The family was living in California where doctors assured them it was a viral infection. But two days before his second birthday, Rylee’s mom Amber took him to the Emergency Department because he had stopped walking. Bloodwork revealed acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Rylee’s bubbly personality and constant laughter instantly disappeared as he was in pain.

“It was like all the life in him was gone,” Steven said. “He just wasn’t the same child and hurt all the time.”

Rylee’s parents were determined to find the best hospital to treat him. The oncologist who diagnosed him in California referred him to Cook Children’s and on Rylee’s second birthday, the family flew to Fort Worth.

A couple of weeks after diagnosis, Rylee’s hair started falling out and he would need his first haircut. Steven was working out of state at the time, but this was a milestone he was not going to miss.

“I got there as soon as I could,” Steven said. “Rylee had pretty red hair and I didn’t want him to be scared with everything going on. I decided to get a haircut with him.”

The father-son duo got haircuts together in Rylee’s inpatient room on the Oncology floor – a moment Steven will always remember. The haircuts are just one example of the many ways they have felt supported at the hospital every step of the way.

“We love it at Cook Children’s,” Amber said. “The doctors and nurses are absolutely amazing. I wouldn’t choose any other place.”

Within four weeks of treatment, Rylee went into remission. He is now back to his spunky self and set to finish the 2 ½ year treatment protocol in February. Amber says she had always worried about her husband and son having a close relationship because Steven worked on the road for the first 10 months of Rylee’s life and only saw him once a month.

“It’s amazing to see how close they are,” Amber said. “Rylee always wants to be with his daddy. They really are best friends.”