Mother's Intuition
A Time of Fear, a Source of Hope
When Kim Lynch and her husband Jim noticed that their 3-year-old son Nick seemed pale and uncharacteristically lethargic, they thought he had picked up a virus at preschool. Concerned, they took their son in for testing. It was not a virus. Nick was suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a fast-growing cancer of the white blood cells.
Having consulted with many doctors, they chose Ricarchito Manera, MD, FAAP, associate professor, pediatrics, pediatric hematology/oncology, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.
Nick was admitted to the Ronald McDonald® Children’s Hospital of Loyola to immediately begin chemotherapy. “Dr. Manera was honest about Nick’s prognosis but always loving,” Mrs. Lynch said. “He told us Nick’s cancer required a special treatment protocol, a very aggressive chemotherapy, but he also said Nick was a fighter.”
Loyola’s team of pediatric hematology/oncology specialists includes Dr. Manera; Dr. Charles Hemenway, Ronald McDonald® House Charities Endowed Professor in Pediatric Oncology; and Dr. Marie-Ellen Sarvida, assistant professor, Department of Pediatrics, as well as dedicated nurse practitioners and support staff. They focus on making life as normal as possible for the patient and the family, which was essential during the first six months of Nick’s treatment.
The Loyola team recognizes that coping with a serious illness is difficult, especially for children.
“Our team treats the whole patient and family, not just the illness, so we have many people and programs to support them,” Dr. Hemenway said.
As he recovered, Nick became part of the 95 percent of children who are treated on an outpatient basis. This allowed him and his family to return to almost a regular way of life. “We were trained on how to care for Nick at home and keep records, but I also knew I could call the Loyola team at all hours,” Mrs. Lynch said. “Nick’s protocol had to be adjusted several times, but Dr. Manera was tireless, always discussing new research that would make Nick’s treatment more suited for him.”
At Nick’s five-year remission party, all of his nurses and doctors came to celebrate. Mrs. Lynch said, “I love Loyola; they are like family to us. We regularly visit the hospital and want to tell others going through similar rough times: You will smile again. You are braver than you think.”
Where to Learn More
To learn about services available at the Ronald McDonald® Children’s Hospital of Loyola and the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, or to schedule an appointment with a Loyola physician, call (877) 216-KIDS.
Clinical research at Loyola yields promising drug prototype.
For more than 10 years Dr. Hemenway has actively been studying mixed lineage leukemias (MLL), a subset of acute leukemias that are gene-specific and are much more resistant to ordinary treatments. About five to 10 percent of children and adults with leukemia suffer from this rare version and are more likely to relapse after chemotherapy.
“Childhood cancers are rare but serious illnesses that should be treated at an academic medical center,” Dr. Hemenway said. Through research, doctors develop a better understanding of the diseases and the ways children respond to new types of chemotherapy. That knowledge can change how patients are treated.
“Clinical research leads to better therapies and treatments,” Dr. Hemenway said. “In the case of the disease that we study, if we can block the function of the abnormal gene that causes the leukemia, we can selectively eliminate the affected cells and spare healthy tissue.”
Because pediatric cancer patients are still growing, being able to target the sick cells is important to keep the body healthier and avoid longer-term complications such as musculoskeletal problems, stunted growth or learning difficulties.
Dr. Hemenway’s research team has developed a drug prototype that has been shown to destroy MLL cells in a laboratory setting. Refining the treatment for clinical trials is next.
“Our approach involves asking what we can do better so that children treated for cancer grow up with a life healthy and free of side effects,” he said.
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SYSTEM
