Alex was a spirited and joyful 4 year-old when her Mom and Dad took Alex to her doctor for a rash. Her doctor noticed that her belly was a little big and told us to get it looked at. Of course, Mom and Dad thought it was from a good appetite! But it was cancer – a Wilm’s tumor in her right kidney. Fortunately, it was caught at Stage I. Usually, this type of cancer is very treatable. They quickly removed the kidney with the tumor and started her on the standard chemo treatment.
After finishing Alex’s chemo treatment, her parents were busy planning her celebration for beating the cancer when Alex went back in for final CT scans. The results floored everyone, including her doctors. Instead of disappearing, the cancer had spread to her lungs. She was now Stage IV. No one really knew why and what to do next. So she started a new, harsher chemo protocol (in and out of the hospital for days on end) and radiation at St. Jude in Memphis. To make matters worse, after a year of Covid, we had to isolate from (what felt like) the whole world because Alex’s immune system was almost non-existent.
After 5 months of this new treatment protocol, her body was cleared of cancer! Praise God! She continued on chemo to kill any remaining cancerous cells. She finished all treatment in July and finally got those final clean CT scans! Although we did our best to safely have fun and keep her spirits up over the past year and a half of treatment, our world was really small. So it was amazing that when we finished treatment, we were able to come to a place as big and beautiful as Montana! Alex made new friends and found new loves (like horseback riding)! We are so proud of her strength and positivity. Alex is still monitored regularly, but she is in remission and enjoying life as a normal little girl (and asks about her Montana family all the time). We thank God for the beautiful people who gave us this gift and made this possible!