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Chasing Away Childhood Cancer

October 4th

On October 2, 2007, Whitney Ringler and her family received news that no parent wants to hear, her 3-year-old son, Chase, had been diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma. After several tests, doctors discovered a tumor half the size of a golf ball on Chase’s left adrenal gland. On October 4, 2007, he underwent surgery to remove the tumor. It was imperative to remove this tumor swiftly due to the fact that it had already spread Chase’s bone marrow and skull.

Although the tumor was removed, there were complications. During surgery, it was discovered that the tumor was entangled in the adjacent lymph nodes. As a result, his renal artery was cut which resulted in the loss of his kidney.

Chase was required to undergo an aggressive treatment process. His treatment consisted of 8 rounds of high dose chemotherapy, bone marrow transplant, fourteen rounds of radiation, six months of Accutane and 11 rounds of painful antibody therapy in New York.

Throughout this long, excruciating process, Chase continued to show tremendous strength and courage, warming the hearts of others with his smile and laughter. After treatment, Chase showed no evidence of the disease but is still monitored very closely and has quarterly scans to check for relapse. Reflecting on this experience, Whitney states, “We are incredibly thankful to all the doctors and nurses at MUSC Children’s Hospital and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.   They are amazing doctors and researchers who won’t stop until there is a cure for this deadly and aggressive cancer.    We thank them and God every day for the miracle they have given back to us….our son.”