Hiro is introspective and observant, sweet and kind, he is goofy, and loves to laugh and communicate to the best of his abilities. He is curious about anything and everything, and he is turning a year old in October. Even through the worst, he chooses joy and happiness each day. He makes the best of his situation. When he doesn’t feel good he still finds ways to play and laugh. His smile warms the heart of all who encounter it and his personality woos the soul.
Hiro was diagnosed with intermediate-risk hepatoblastoma, a rare liver cancer, in March of 2022. He was just 4 months old. I took Hiro to the ER on March 1st for a skin infection. It was an awesome nurse who found the hardness on his abdomen to be odd and who informed the doctors. After they ran tests they found a massive tumor on his liver. The skin infection was not related at all.
Hiro has been through 6 rounds of chemo, 3 major surgeries, and endless tests/scans/bloodwork. It has been so difficult on us mentally, financially, physically, etc. The chemo caused hearing loss and he is delayed in many areas due to everything his little body has been through.
Everything has happened so fast. Tuesday, March 1st I took him to the ER, and by Saturday the 5th he was starting his first round of chemo. We went through a lot of trauma quickly these past 6 months. I would say it has changed us, in many ways. Our daily life looks completely different not to mention the physical, emotional, and mental toll it has taken on us.
We are in a bit of limbo when it comes to Hiro’s situation. His last scans showed at least three new tumors on his liver. We are not sure if they are active or not. We have scans at the end of the month to see if they have grown or not. If they haven’t, then we keep hoping that they don’t. If they do, then it will be a biopsy and the potential for more hard times.
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