Riley Kid of the week goes out to this handsome guy. Lucas and his family came to their first PUDM last year and we hope to see them again this year!
In April 2013, when Lucas was 2 years old, he developed a bump on the side of his head near his right ear and temple. After an ultrasound showing swollen lymph nodes and a round of antibiotics, a CT scan was done at Lafayette’s IU Hospital. On Monday, April 29, 2013 the scan showed a mass growing on his skull. Our pediatrician immediately set us up for further testing to be done the nest day at Riley. De. Lee (Lucas’ pediatric hematologist oncologist) and several great nurses called to prepare us and give us an idea of what to expect.
When we arrived at Riley everyone was so helpful and informative. We met with Dr. Lee, who is amazing, and a biopsy was performed that afternoon. On Friday, May 3rd, we received the diagnosis of Langerhans Cell HIstiocytosis (LCH), a very rare disease where certain white blood cells grow out of control and multiply quickly. Thankfully, the prognosis was good. Lucas started his treatment plan with chemotherapy once a week for six weeks, and then once every three weeks for a total of 12 months.
On Monday, May 6th, Lucas’ port-a-cath was implanted and he received his first Vinblastine treatment. Within a couple of weeks, the mass had gone down. Another CT scan showed that the mass was gone and the bone was healing by the 6th week.
Today, Lucas is over halfway through his treatments. He never ceases to amaze us by his strength and joyfulness. We are so thankful for Dr. Lee, the entire pediatric Hematology Oncology team and all of the many great doctors and nurses at Riley!
