Chase is your not-so-average, happy, healthy 6 year old little girl. She loves gymnastics, swimming and soccer, her favorite color is purple, and her favorite things to do are reading, playing with her friends, and going to school. She loves watching her brother play football, going fishing with her daddy, and eating ribs.
On August 26, 2013, our entire world went sideways when she woke up complaining of a bellyache and a fever. We took her to the doctor to be checked for appendicitis and were immediately referred to Kosair Children’s Hospital for additional tests. Within a few hours we were given the news no parent ever wants to her – “Your daughter has a mass in kidney and we think it’s cancer.” The next 36 hours were a whirlwind of phone calls, blood tests, x-rays and scans, and a revolving door of doctors explaining what was going to happen next and what the future would most likely hold for us. On August 28th, she had surgery to remove the tumor along with her right kidney and a couple days later we received the official diagnosis, Stage 2 Wilm’s Tumor. Chase was one of the “lucky ones”. The treatment protocol of Wilm’s Tumor has a very high success rate, and the Stage 2 protocol allows for chemo treatment to be given outpatient in the HemOc Clinic. BUT, even though it is often referred to as “chemo light”, it is not without side effects. Shortly after beginning treatment, Chase experienced issues with her gall bladder and had to spend another 5 days in the hospital. She was sick for days after many treatments, she lost her hair, she lost weight and muscle tone, she had to deal with neuropathy in her fingers which prevented her from holding a pencil, and she wasn’t able to go to school. She also had to endure regular “pokes”, or blood draws, and more x-rays and scans in 5 months than most people have in their entire life.
Chase completed her last chemo treatment on January 10, 2014, and is currently waiting (not so patiently) to have her chemo port removed so she can get back to her regularly scheduled life. In May, we were blessed to take our Make-a-Wish trip on the Disney Cruise Line, and celebrated her victories – each and every one of them. We are also focusing on the future – a future that doesn’t include the words “Childhood Cancer” for any family – by participating in events like RaiseRED, and other fundraising and awareness campaigns. We will be forever grateful to the staff at the UofL Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Clinic. The compassion and genuine care they showed us during our weekly visits will never be forgotten. The Weavers Lance, Cheryl, Grady and Chase |