Lucy Rocks
- 5-year-old Lucy Rose Donmoyer is fighting neuroblastoma, and she has something to sing about it with her new ditty Cancer Sucks.
- Donmoyer just finished her first stem cell transplant to fight the disease.
- Neuroblastoma accounts for about 6% of all pediatric cancers in the United States with about 800 new cases identified each year, according to the American Cancer Society.
Five-year-old Lucy Rose Donmoyer from Jacksonville, Florida has been fighting neuroblastoma for the last year, and she’s got something to say about it. Ahem, something to sing about it.
Read MoreHer father, Jordan, explained a little of the back story on his Facebook page: “FYI – prior to her diagnosis, "sucks" would not be an acceptable word for her to use in her vocabulary, but she's earned the right to use it in this context.” Indeed she has.
According to Lucy’s Go Fund Me page, “On April 23rd, 2020 the Donmoyer family received a diagnosis for 4-year-old Lucy of neuroblastoma, a cancerous tumor at the back of her stomach, spanning from the bottom of her lungs to the top of her pelvis.”
Her treatment has included three cycles of chemotherapy, and a stem cell transplant requiring a 22-day hospital stay.
The March 28 update on her Facebook page explains what’s happened recently:
“Lucy's been home from transplant a little over 2 weeks now….This last treatment was a doozy and Lucy's recovery from it has been slower than we've seen in the past. The doctors chalk this up to both the high intensity of this chemo as well as all of the chemo her body has endured. Although it's been a slow-go getting her back to her "pre-transplant" form, she has gotten better and better every day. Her personality and energy came back a few days after being home. She's getting her appetite back bit by bit and is finally starting to try some of her different faves.
“Lucy and Jess (Lucy’s mom) will be checking back into the hospital for transplant #2 on Tuesday, April 13th. That gives us a couple more weeks of family time and preparing for round 2. While it will still be difficult and a doozy, we know what to expect this time, that in and of itself makes it easier.
“This will be the last chemo Lucy receives. This next transplant completes phase 3 of Lucy's treatment plan and rolls into Phase 4, 2 weeks of radiation therapy directly to her tumor, followed by Phase 5, months of antibody treatment to finish out the year.”
About Childhood Neuroblastoma
Neuroblastoma accounts for about 6% of all pediatric cancers in the United States with about 800 new cases identified each year, according to the American Cancer Society.
Neuroblastoma develops from nerve cells in the fetus. It often affects the small glands above the kidneys, called adrenal glands. Tumors appear most often in the abdomen but can be found in the chest, neck or spine. Some forms of this cancer will spontaneously disappear on their own, but for most children, surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation is required.
Signs of neuroblastoma vary but a child with an abdominal tumor may experience bellyaches, weight loss, or abdominal swelling. Some children only complain of general aches and pains.
About half of neuroblastoma patients have "high-risk disease" which has spread to other parts of the body. Treatment may include a combination of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy including proton therapy, as well as high-dose chemotherapy followed by a stem cell transplant. Immunotherapy, which uses the body's own immune system to fight the disease, may also be effective in treating neuroblastoma.
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