Meet Chance – Rhabdomyosarcoma Warrior

Jeffrey said, "The NCCS made sure we had money for transportation," which allowed them to get to every single appointment.

Diana always gave her five year-old grandson, Chance, a bath before bed. As she went through their nightly routine, she noticed a large growth on his leg. “It was just like an overnight thing,” Diana said. “One day it wasn’t there, and the next day it was.” The following morning, Diana and her husband, Jeffrey, took Chance to their family doctor who then sent them to the hospital for tests. It took doctors several weeks to figure out his diagnosis, but when they determined exactly what they were dealing with, they broke the news to Diana and her family – Chance had rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare malignant tumor. Jeffrey said everything after that happened “in the blink of an eye.” Chance began chemotherapy immediately after his diagnosis but because of unforeseen obstacles such as pink eye and low blood counts, they had to put his therapy on hold until he regained enough strength. Once his early rounds of chemotherapy were completed, he proceeded with surgery to remove the baseball-sized tumor, followed by another intense round of chemotherapy.

His treatment plan required multiple trips to the hospital for inpatient and outpatient stays. They expressed concern about the expenses incurred from their frequent trips to and from the hospital to their social worker, who referred them to the NCCS. Jeffrey said, “The NCCS made sure we had money for transportation,” which allowed them to get to every single appointment. Chance and his grandparents also received our coloring book and parent guide, which comforted them through Chance’s life-changing journey.