Blank Children's Hospital
Olivia
Few words have the ability to strike fear more quickly or more thoroughly than "cancer." Because it appears in such vastly different forms, which respond to treatment in a variety of ways, a cancer diagnosis can be devastating. When that diagnosis is made to your child, the impact is often magnified.
With this understanding, Blank Children's Hospital has become a leader in the state of Iowa and beyond in caring for pediatric cancer patients. The pediatric hematology/oncology service is led by a multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, social workers and Child Life specialists all with specialized training in the care of children. Supported by staff with pediatric-centered training, Blank Children's Hospital offers advanced diagnostic services, a full complement of treatment options including surgery, chemotherapy, a dedicated inpatient unit, and family support services.
This comprehensive approach to pediatric cancer care proved invaluable when Nicole and Enrique learned their almost 11-month-old daughter, Olivia, had a cancerous tumor on her left kidney.
Born September 21, 2007, Olivia was a vibrant baby girl that battled through her share of colds and standard-variety viruses as she grew close to her first birthday. But on August 14, 2008 her mother, Nicole, had a strange feeling about a fever that wouldn't go away.
"We went in to the doctor because she had a fever," Nicole says. "They did a chest x-ray and everything looked okay. But I asked them to do an abdominal x-ray and they found an 11 centimeter mass on her left kidney."
It was then that Olivia was admitted to Blank Children's Hospital, where her care was managed by Wendy Woods-Swafford, M.D., M.P.H., pediatric hematologists/oncologist. It was determined that surgery was needed, and on August 18, a pediatric surgeon removed Olivia's left kidney, which had encased in it a Stage II rhabdoid tumor. Rhabdoid tumors are unique to children and are an aggressive form of cancer.
While it was fortunate the tumor was fully removed in surgery and no cancer was found in the lymph nodes, the treatment plan called for intensive chemotherapy and radiation treatments. In all, Olivia had six radiation treatments at John Stoddard Cancer Center and chemotherapy over the course of six months. During her chemotherapy treatments, Olivia began to lose weight and was admitted to the hospital on various occasions. The journey put a strain on the entire family.
"I think the hardest part was to remain positive and focused on the fact that she was going to make it," says Nicole. She and Enrique have two other children, Isabella, 8, and Alexander, 1. "During her sickest period, she was down to just 15 pounds. I don't know how she did it. It's incredible when I look back now."
Olivia did make it and her prognosis is nothing short of incredible.
"She is doing wonderful," Nicole says. "She just had a scan and it came back clean. She is a normal, feisty 2-year-old. She is full of spirit and it is that feistiness that got her through this." Nicole says it is difficult to put into words what it meant to have the providers of Blank Children's Hospital by her side throughout the journey.
"They were always caring and compassionate," she says. "They made it feel like a home away from home. They always took the time to talk to me and to help me understand all we were dealing with. We are truly blessed to have had them as a part of our lives. We still visit them today. They have become a part of our extended family."