Eva G.
North Carolina
Birth Date: December 6, 2016
Diagnosis: Embroynal Rhabdomysarcoma
Theme: Whimsical Animals
SPECFICALLY:2 Ducklings, 2 Monkeys & 1 ea. Penguin, Puppy, Kitten, Pig, Calf, Elephant, Frog & Tiger
Due Date: July 1, 2021
Eva's Story
In March 2020, we noticed that there was something poking out of Eva's nose. On the 30th, when blowing her nose, a polyp the size of a jelly bean came out. We contacted her doctor and she prescribed an antibiotic and said she would refer us to an ENT. We were referred to another Pediatrician instead who also said she needed to see an ENT, but due to corona virus most were not seeing anyone that wasn't an emergency. He prescribed another antibiotic. The polyps at this point were getting larger and pushing out of her nose, making it hard for her to eat and sleep. On April 16th, I took her to the local ER because it had gotten so bad and no one would believe it was enough of an emergency to give us a ENT appointment. The doctor immediately took a CT scan and referred us to the Pediatric ENT at UNC-Chapel Hill. We went there that same day, and were immediately taken back and seen by one of the Pediatric ENTs. We were told we would need to see the main ENT doctor on the following Tuesday, the 21st. We were given steroids and sent home.
On April 21st, we met with the head of ENT Pediatrics, Dr. Rose. He said he had reviewed Eva's CT scan and that every single sinus cavity was filled with polyps. They were even going down the back of her throat. He said this classified her as an emergency need for surgery. She had lost 3 pounds in one week. That was 10% of her body weight, and she was hardly sleeping due the blockage. He scheduled her for surgery on April 24th. During the surgery they removed all the polyps and her adenoids and sent them off for pathology. On Tuesday, the 28th Dr.Rose called and informed me that the pathology came back as cancerous. It was Embroynal Rhabdomysarcoma.
Dr. Hipps, one of the pediatric Oncologists, called to tell us what needed to happen. This type of cancer is very aggressive. On Wednesday, April 29th Eva had surgery to place a Port-a-Cath, take a bone marrow biopsy sample and check her spinal fluid. She also had a PET scan, MRI and CT scan. It was determined that her cancer was only in her sinuses and was not found anywhere else in her body or bone marrow.
Chemotherapy treatments were started on May 6th, and will last for 42 weeks. Eva and I traveled to Boston at the end of July and stayed there for 7 weeks to receive her 28 doses of proton radiation treatment and continued to receive her chemo treatments while we were there. We came back home on September 12th. Scans the week of Thanksgiving showed the area where her cancer was had gotten smaller and they believed it was in remission. Eva's scans the middle of February were the same. She is considered stable and in remission. She is currently starting a 6 month maintenance phase.
"Thank you so much. She loves it!"
