In November 2022, our daughter Luciana was diagnosed with cancer after experiencing left-side pain and blood in her urine, which led us to the ER. Despite her diagnosis, she has no significant physical limitations.
Her treatment has included chemotherapy, radiation, and multiple surgeries. These medical challenges have taken a toll on our family, especially financially. Her brother has developed anxiety due to the stress of her illness, and as a family, we’ve faced numerous emotional and practical struggles.
Our daughter is a vibrant, fun-loving spirit who embraces life with enthusiasm. She has a passion for dance, arts and crafts, and cheering. She also enjoys shopping and experimenting with makeup, always finding ways to express her creativity and joy.
Throughout her journey, she has remained incredibly positive, forming meaningful friendships with others going through similar experiences. She not only receives support but offers it in return, embodying resilience and kindness.
Margo has a very contagious laugh and cracks up over anything silly. She is very girly and loves princesses and anything that sparkles!
Margo was diagnosed with Wilms Tumor on May 5 2023. Before her diagnosis, she was not eating much, had a low grade fever, and was sleeping 15+ hours a day.
This journey has allowed me to see what a fighter my Margo is! It has brought my two daughters closer, while separated them (and me from my older daughter) while we were in the hospital for months.
April was diagnosed on December 15th, 2023 with Wilms Tumor. Her cancer was discovered at her 18-month well-check. She started radiation the week of Christmas of 2023. We lost our daughter in August of 2023 then 4 months later found out our child had cancer. It’s been a crazy journey of trying to process the grief of our baby girl and then finding out our other daughter has cancer. It has been multiple hospital stays, long ones and she has gotten a lot if attention, and our oldest, our son, has felt that.
Although she is almost done with her journey, she will be monitored for the next 5 years of her life. We will have to explain to her and answer her questions on why or how this happened and why she has so many appointments. I know she won’t remember much from these visits, I hope she doesn’t. But as she gets older, she will be confused as to why she has to have these “normal” routine visits.
Hendrix was diagnosed with Wilm’s Tumor in December 2021. My husband and I noticed bloating in his tummy and his belly button protruding more than normal. For a couple weeks we didn’t think much of it, until the swelling increased mainly on his right side. He had fevers on and off but we attributed the fevers to him recently starting Kindergarten and being exposed to lots of germs at school. He never complained of any pain!
Hendrix underwent 7 days of proton radiation therapy to his abdomen and pelvic area, and 6 months on chemotherapy. He had surgery to remove the 17cm tumor from his right kidney. They removed his right kidney as well since it was too involved. He also had to get a bronchial procedure done to test the lymph nodes in his lungs, which thank God were non-cancerous. He is one year in remission and was recently declared cancer free at his 1 year CT scan and check up.
he cancer diagnosis changed everything and for better! What the enemy meant for evil, God used it for our good and we can testify to that! We are healthier now physically, mentally and spiritually. We take care of our bodies and what we put in and on them. We cherish every moment and are thankful always.
Hendrix was so strong throughout this whole journey! You look at him now and you would never know he went through something so traumatic. He is my hero! He would get chemo and come home to play with his little brother like he nothing happened!
Everest, our sweet little angel, was diagnosed with Wilms Tumor at age 13 months and had to have her left kidney removed shortly thereafter. She started chemo about 3 weeks after her surgery.
She was healthy as we could tell. Meeting all milestones and was growing very well. She was pale and started being more sleepy but the real thing that made us discover the cancer was when I was nursing her to sleep one night, I felt a stiffness in her left side. My heart sank because I feared it was something bad. The next day we had her PCP check it out and she ordered an ultrasound. Exactly 7 days after I felt her belly, she underwent kidney removal surgery.
She is the only child in our family and everyone was devastated when we heard that she had cancer and would need to have her kidney removed.
She’s been so incredibly strong throughout everything. The day after her left kidney was removed, she tried to play on the floor and was rolling around within hours of her surgery.
