Philadelphia Inquirer - Children's Hospital of Philadelphia - 20

www.philly.com THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER Tuesday, October 2, 2007 Elizabeth Rand checks her computer at CHOP. After treatment, her cancer was in remission. And she knew it was best not to dwell on the possibility of a return. A prescription for life Rand was satisfied. Nadia’s numbers weren’t perfect, but they were steady. Rand and, more important, Nadia, could live with them. Nadia had passed the most dangerous period. Now it was a matter of living as a transplant recipient. But as Nadia grew, and as her body changed, Rand would have to adjust her mix of medicines. All told, CHOP was paid $528,092 for Nadia’s care from her first arrival April 24, 2006, through her transplant and her subsequent hospital readmissions. Nadia was covered under Joe’s health insurance. And because of her condition, Nadia qualified for Medicaid. The program paid the costs not picked up by their primary insurer. On June 29, Rand went for her last radiation treatment. It had been eight months since her diagnosis of breast cancer. She was in remission. But the cancer had left its marks on her. She could see them in her mirror. Her hair was short. Her breasts were smaller and no longer quite matched. Her belly button was slightly off center, making her feel strangely asymmetrical. Rand knew a recurrence, it if happened, was most likely between two and seven years. She hadn’t wanted to get the odds, because in the end it would either happen, or it wouldn’t. Certainly, she hoped to see her kids graduate from high school and college, go to their weddings, and hold her grandchildren. But it was best not to dwell on the possibility the cancer would return. Best not to go there. She often told her patients and their parents that even in the face of serious illness, it was really important to focus on the moment, to truly live. Rand looked ahead with optimism. That weekend she went shopping with a friend while her children and husband went to a baseball game. She drove to the King of Prussia mall intent on reclaiming some control over her body. She stopped at the Piercing Pagoda and walked out with with two more earrings — clear rhinestone studs — in her left ear. A little asymmetry of her own. Nadia’s next steps On July 1, as Allison straightened Nadia’s room, she looked up to see her daughter stretching backward to the rocking chair for balance. Suddenly, the child launched herself forward toward the bed. Allison rushed over — not to grab her, but to protect against a fall as Nadia walked across the four feet of carpet to grab hold of the crib. “Joe!” Allison called out to her husband. He rushed in. Nadia demonstrated her newfound talent, walking the three feet between her excited parents, who held out their arms even as they wept. They hovered as they watched their little girl haltingly take her first steps. This was what they had been waiting for, yet they could not bring themselves to let down their guard. They stood over her, ready to catch her if she fell. Rick Colello plays with granddaughter Nadia in front of her new brother, Adam, in the Kadis’ living room in Doylestown. Nadia had just begun taking a few steps. Allison and Joe weren’t sure they were ready. What if something happened? They woke at the slightest sound or cough. They checked on her obsessively. That’s a problem, Rand said. It’s time for Nadia to sleep alone. Let her cry. Allison and Joe weren’t about to disagree with the doctor. But there was no way. Still, two weeks later, Nadia’s biopsy results were the best yet. The cycle was broken. Epilogue Nadia, who will be 2 years old on Nov. 14, is doing well. On Sept. 7, nearly five months after her transplant, the family drove to Children’s Hospital for a scheduled checkup. As Nadia scampered about, the visit was captured on video. She still sleeps with her parents. Contact staff writer Josh Goldstein at 215-854-4733 or jgoldstein@phillynews.com. Posted with permission from The Philadelphia Inquirer. Copyright © 2008. All rights reserved. #1-23093959 Managed by The YGS Group, 717.399.1900. For more information visit www.theYGSgroup.com/reprints.

Philadelphia Inquirer - Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

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