Natalia D.
Massachusetts
Birth Date: February 24, 2004
Diagnosis: Choroid Plexus Carcinoma
Natalia's Story
Natalia started complaining of headaches during the summer of 2018. They weren't severe and often resolved within a few minutes. I thought she was suffering from anxiety. The end of July Natalia started complaining of losing vision in her left eye and blurred vision. I decided it was time to see her doctor and to have an eye exam. She saw her PCP on a Tuesday and her exam was good. The doctor wasn't concerned. The same week she saw the eye doctor on Thursday. The exam showed Natalia had bilateral swelling in her optic nerves. This prompted the doctor to order an MRI and to refer us to a neurologist.
The following week we saw Neurology and had the MRI. This being Natalia's first MRI, she was unable to get through the entire scan. That same day I got a call from her PCP informing me that they were not able to get all the images they wanted, but the images they did get showed a mass on the left side in the 4th ventricle.
We went to Childrens Hospital Boston that afternoon to see a Neurosurgeon. Natalia had a full MRI on Thursday and was in surgery on Friday to have the tumor removed. The doctors were able to remove the entire tumor, and Natalia did great. We waited two weeks for pathology to come back. The results showed it was a malignant tumor.
Natalia has a rare form of cancer. It's called Choroid Plexus Carcinoma. As of now (12/27/18), Natalia has completed two rounds of chemotherapy and started radiation. She will do six weeks of radiation and then four more rounds of chemotherapy.
