FIT4MOM
*You are not alone. Our blog series, Motherhood Untold, tells the stories of real moms navigating motherhood's struggles, triumphs, and challenges.
In this installment of Motherhood Untold, we hear from Elizabeth Salazar, a member of FIT4MOM McAllen, who kindly shared her story with us.
My daughter, Emma, is fearless and vibrant. My husband Randy and I enjoyed her babyhood with extended breastfeeding, co-sleeping, lots of toddler energy and all the toddler sounds! Emma could always keep up with her big brother, RJ and she did her best to boss him around a bit. She'd run and jump at the park, until one day at 3 1/2, when she asked to go home when we had just arrived. We thought maybe she was coming down with a cold. But we also noticed she was very sleepy, and tired, and her appetite was low. Sadly, we also saw that she had a noticeable lump on her torso. On December 26, 2015, we took her to Urgent Care, still hoping for a manageable diagnosis.
After some tests and scans, the doctor came in to let us know we would be transferred by ambulance to DHR because the lump Emma had could be a tumor. The next few days were a blur of tests and MRI scans and Emma had to undergo surgery to determine if the tumor was cancerous. I was co-sleeping with Emma in her hospital bed when the doctor came in to inform us that Emma had a large tumor growing in her liver. The tumor is a hepatoblastoma and it is stage 3. It had not metastasized anywhere else in her body. We'd have to start chemotherapy right away and hope and pray that Emma would respond well to that so the tumor could shrink and be removed a few months later.
Those months were hard, and my husband and I were doing our best to support Emma in the hospital and RJ at home. Family and friends stepped in to help where they could. My best friend helped watch RJ and made sure he had great adventures during that time.
Chemotherapy took an even greater toll on Emma's little body; she lost weight and we were happy to give her anything she asked for if it meant she could gain some energy back. Emma wasn't scared, though. She has so much power that truly amazes me every day. She would get a little sad when she had procedures and I couldn't be with her, to this day, that's what hurts. It was truly heartbreaking to see her this way but at the same time, we have to keep our cool for her. Each time she received chemotherapy for the next seven months, I prayed that God would only let the chemo go to the tumor and nowhere else because I knew that God had that power.
Our new normal became going to the oncology clinic for labs, going to the hospital for chemotherapy then going home and trying to make sure she doesn't get sick before going to the clinic again. In February, we celebrated Emma's fourth birthday with family and friends and even though she was losing her hair she enjoyed Chuck-E-Cheese. By March, Emma had had 3 cycles of chemo and we went to Houston for scans. On the way home, the doctor called with MRI results that the tumor had shrunk enough that it could be resected and we wouldn't have to look at transplant options. That was just amazing news to hear! She had another round of chemo and a tumor resection surgery was planned for the end of April. Unfortunately, due to the effects of chemo on her immune system and all the medication she had taken, she is diagnosed with C. diff, an infection that takes a toll on her and gives her a high fever the day of her brother's party in April.
So we went to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston and we were admitted to treat the infection. I was mostly on my own there in the hospital, my husband and son came to visit on weekends and my best friend came to visit us the day before the big surgery. On May 2nd, 2016 her surgery for tumor resection took place. Emma was in surgery for 9 hours. She was in recovery for the next couple of weeks. When we got discharged, it truly felt like a miracle. To make sure the tumor was completely gone, she underwent two more rounds of chemotherapy. Thankfully, every day we saw progress and recuperation.
In August 2016, Emma was declared No Evidence of Disease and rang the bell to mark the end of her treatment! One week later she started pre-kinder, with no hair but the biggest smile on her little face! In 2018, she started wearing hearing aids, as hearing loss is a side effect of the chemotherapy drugs she received. Today, she is seven years off treatment and we've entered the Long Term Survivor clinic, which is a huge milestone. She is still at risk of secondary cancers and other medical side effects and must be monitored by multiple specialties, like audiology and cardiology.
We are truly grateful for this miracle in our lives, but there are so many children and families who are fighting cancer. The statistics are staggering and it's clear that childhood cancer is not rare. The day before Emma was diagnosed, we weren't a cancer family. And this is why we need to raise awareness and support the families.
We thank Elizabeth for sharing her heartfelt story, and we send Emma and her family all of our love and support! All moms need a village, and Elizabeth, we are privileged to have you as a part of ours.
