Meet Ella – Neuroblastoma Warrior
“None of this could have been possible without the NCCS...” said Jennifer, Ella’s mom.
It was only a few months before Ella’s 4th birthday and instead of being excited for the upcoming celebration, the only thing she could think about was how much her tummy hurt. Within a few days, her pain became so excruciating that she could not stop screaming. Her parents rushed her to the emergency room where doctors ran a battery of tests and finally found the reason this little girl was in so much pain – she had an aggressive high-risk tumor on her left kidney. She immediately began treatment at her local hospital – about thirty minutes away – where she endured five rounds of harsh chemotherapy.
When the first round of treatment failed to keep her disease away, doctors told Ella’s parents there was a treatment available that may help save her life at one of the finest facilities in the country, but it was in New York; hundreds of miles away from home. When they realized how frequent their trips to New York would be, they reached out to the NCCS for transportation assistance. At the NCCS we know, if a child can’t get there, the treatment might as well not exist.
Ella completed a massive resection of her tumor, more chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy and was finally considered cancer-free. Tragically, she relapsed a few months later and had to endure another surgery and more chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy. Her last resort was participating in a clinical trial . . . which proved successful! Ella was considered cancer-free once again. “None of this could have been possible without the NCCS…” said Jennifer, Ella’s mom. “We thank you for everything you do!!”