Talia Battles Cancer and More With the Help of Her Hometown Care Team

4 years after therapy for rhabdomyosarcoma, Talia remains to be linked to her Stanford pediatric oncology crew in Walnut Creek

5 years after the tip of most cancers therapy, pediatric oncologists begin to use a robust phrase: cured.

Fortunately for 8-year-old Talia, nearly 4 years have handed because the finish of her therapy for rhabdomyosarcoma, a uncommon and aggressive most cancers that develops in soft tissue, and he or she’s nonetheless cancer-free. Talia likes to play basketball and has quite a lot of power, in keeping with her mother, Lori.

However the results of her most cancers therapy nonetheless linger for Talia, highlighting the significance of long-term care for youths with most cancers. Talia is ready to obtain this care nearer to dwelling, due to a partnership that brings Stanford pediatric oncologists to John Muir Well being’s Walnut Creek Medical Middle. Stanford’s pediatric oncology crew is there to help Talia all through her complete most cancers journey and past.

Talia was identified with rhabdomyosarcoma in late 2021, when she was 4 years previous. Lori first observed one thing was amiss when Talia’s elbow regarded very swollen, as if it had been pulled out of its socket. Lori referred to as a member of the family who’s a health care provider, who advisable watching and ready for a number of days. When the swelling worsened, Talia and her household went to the emergency division, the place they drew blood and did an MRI.

“The physician got here in and stated, ‘We’re going to refer you to oncology,’” Lori stated. “Simply listening to that phrase was like ‘What?’ Getting that prognosis, you assume there’s no manner I might undergo this, however you shock your self and also you do.”

Inside a number of days, Talia had swelling round her neck and armpit too. Her arm doubled in measurement, and Lori needed to minimize Talia’s shirts off as a result of they couldn’t stretch over her swollen left aspect.

“We had been panicking, however the oncologists and nurses had been reassuring—they stated when it grows this quick, normally with therapy it’ll go down this quick,” Lori stated.

Talia’s pediatric oncology care crew laid out a frightening therapy plan, with nearly a 12 months of chemotherapy and 6 weeks of radiation remedy within the center. Having the ability to obtain most of this care near dwelling within the East Bay has been a giant assist for Talia and her household.

“That has been such a blessing,” Lori stated. “We all know we’re in good arms. Simply understanding I can get her to the hospital rapidly positively feels good.”

For instance, the partnership between Stanford Drugs Youngsters’s Well being and John Muir Well being meant that Talia might get all of her chemotherapy infusions near dwelling.

“She might get customary issues like labs, transfusions, and chemotherapy nearer to dwelling however nonetheless have entry to extra superior care, reminiscent of radiation, at Packard Youngsters’s,” stated Jay Balagtas, MD, a pediatric oncologist who handled Talia. “The partnership between John Muir Well being and Stanford made it simpler to maneuver between the 2 establishments as wanted.”

As a part of the partnership, sufferers who obtain chemotherapy and different remedies from Stanford consultants in Walnut Creek even have entry to Stanford consultants in Palo Alto, from pioneers of revolutionary remedies like stem cell transplantation and CAR T-cell remedy to world-renowned pediatric surgical oncologists like Gregory Tiao, MD.

Lori and Talia drove right down to Lucile Packard Youngsters’s Hospital Stanford in Palo Alto for Talia’s radiation remedy. Some weekends, they had been capable of come dwelling in order that Talia might go to her two older sisters, two German shepherds, and 5 chickens.

The radiation remedy was the toughest a part of Talia’s therapy, leaving her with extraordinarily painful burns that made her pores and skin peel and led to infections. Talia’s pores and skin was so fragile that she would begin bleeding if her arm bumped up towards the remainder of her physique, so Lori utilized particular bandages to maintain her pores and skin secure. Nonetheless, Talia has quite a lot of scarring from the consequences of the radiation remedy.

After every thing Talia endured throughout therapy, she acquired the very best birthday current: She completed therapy in the course of the week of her fifth birthday and was declared cancer-free.

However though Talia’s therapy was over, the consequences nonetheless lingered, and survivorship care helped her navigate these bumps. First, she had bouts of utmost constipation for 2 years.

Now she is battling lymphedema, continual swelling of her arm brought on by buildup of lymph fluid, as a result of her lymphatic system was broken by the most cancers. She’s getting a particular compression sleeve that hopefully will stop the lymphedema from worsening.

“She simply needs to be a traditional child—she doesn’t wish to put on a sleeve,” Lori stated. “She appears like she’s over it, she doesn’t have most cancers anymore.”

She’s additionally had a number of bouts of cellulitis, an an infection of the deeper layers of pores and skin and tissue beneath. Talia is extra vulnerable to infections as a result of her lymph nodes had been broken by the radiation remedy and might’t filter micro organism successfully.

Throughout one among Talia’s hospital stays to deal with the cellulitis, she discovered herself in the identical room the place she acquired her first chemotherapy infusion.

“We nonetheless know a few of the nurses, they usually all say, ‘Talia, have a look at you, you’re rising a lot,’” Lori stated. “It appears like dwelling, it appears like household.”

Talia will proceed to be cared for by the Stanford Youngsters’s pediatric oncology crew at John Muir Well being for at the least one other six years.

“For the primary 5 years after therapy, we’re monitoring to ensure the most cancers hasn’t returned,” stated Karen Chao, MD, a pediatric oncologist who cares for Talia. “Then for the subsequent 5 years, we’re monitoring for the secondary results of the chemo and radiation.”

Dr. Chao emphasised the good thing about having the identical high-quality Stanford pediatric oncology care out there nearer to dwelling for East Bay households.

“It’s simply a lot extra handy to have a crew that you simply belief, that you already know is providing you with wonderful care, however you’re not touring throughout the Bay Space,” she stated. “We now have a smaller crew, so that you get to know us and all of us get to know you. And from a security standpoint, for youths who’re receiving most cancers therapy and have weakened immune methods, in the event that they develop a fever, it’s actually not secure for them to drive a protracted distance to be seen. We are able to see them rapidly and get them began on antibiotics.”

Talia remains to be getting into each 4 months for scans to ensure her most cancers hasn’t returned. Over time, if she stays cancer-free, the scans will get much less frequent after which cease.

In the meantime, Talia is trying ahead to going to a live performance that includes her favourite singer, Forrest Frank, and turning 9 in September.

“She’s a bundle of power and a extremely candy, constructive child,” stated Dr. Chao. “She’s sufficiently old to recollect quite a lot of what she went by means of, however I don’t assume it has impacted this joie de vivre that she has. It hasn’t slowed her down.”

Lori needs to offer different households hope that they’ll get by means of this extremely annoying time.

“Simply take it at some point at a time,” she stated. “It feels utterly overwhelming and your thoughts thinks the worst. Don’t go there, don’t attempt to see every thing without delay, simply go one step at a time, one minute at a time, no matter it’s good to do to get by means of the subsequent hour or day and be current. It makes you understand that is on a regular basis we’ve got, so benefit from it.”

Talia agrees. When requested what she would inform different children preventing most cancers, Talia had a easy and highly effective message: “Keep robust.”

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