Children's Hospitals Today - Summer 2024 - 28

VITALS / THRIVING
Celebrating a normal life
After cancer, heart failure, and a stroke, a teen is back to being a teen.
had surgery to remove the tumor; chemotherapy was next
to eliminate any trace of cancer. Though successful, the
cancer treatments damaged her heart. Two months after
her final chemotherapy treatment, Cami's heart failed due
to cardiotoxicity.
" One of the worst side effects of chemotherapy is toxicity
to the heart, which happened in Cami's case. It became
apparent that she was going to need more than just medicines.
We recommended surgery to place a ventricular assist
device, which is a heart pump that would take over
the work of her heart, " said Heather Henderson, MD, the
medical director of heart failure and transplant pediatrics
at MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's.
Six months later, Cami experienced an unexpected setback.
A stroke paralyzed the left side of her body.
" I had to learn how to walk again so I did a lot of physical
therapy, " Cami said. " Before everything happened, I didn't
really appreciate being able to walk and everyday things. I
was just grateful that I was able to walk again. "
Cami's challenges didn't end there. Since her heart was
Cami de Leon experienced a series of dangerous complications after
her cancer diagnosis.
A
diagnosis set off a chain of events that could have
claimed Cami de Leon's life. The South Carolina teen
was experiencing leg pain, so her mom took
her to the pediatrician. An X-ray revealed a
mass growing in her leg, prompting a referral
to MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital.
" I met Cami as a referral. Her primary care
provider sent her to see me because they
found a mass, which is a parent's worst nightmare, "
said Anca Dumitriu, MD, a pediatric
hematologist oncologist at the hospital.
Cami was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma,
not able to recover from the effects of chemotherapy,
Henderson recommended a heart transplant. Miraculously,
a heart became available for Cami within 24 hours
of being added to the transplant list. It was two days
before Christmas.
" We'll always remember when her doctor came to her
" SHE CAN BE A KID,
A TEENAGER WITH
A NORMAL LIFE.
THAT'S WHAT WE
CELEBRATE. "
a rare type of bone and muscle cancer that
affects about 225 kids each year. " It's a very,
very scary diagnosis, " said Cami's mom,
Claudia. " You never think it will happen to your child, but
it happened to her. "
Claudia said Dr. Dumitriu eased their minds by explaining
how the treatment would unfold in detail. First, Cami
room at 7 o'clock that morning and told her they have a
heart for her, " Claudia said. " I was very emotional.
We all cried. We were so happy. We were
nervous, too. "
Her mom may have been scared, but Cami
wasn't. Her experience had prepared her to
face this hurdle with confidence. " When I was
getting a heart transplant, I wasn't really that
scared since I had been through worse than
that, " she said.
That confidence may have helped Cami recover
as quickly as she did. Within a week of
receiving her new heart, Cami was home.
" She's doing well. She's thriving. She can be a
kid, a teenager with a normal life. That's what we celebrate, "
Claudia said.
Hear more stories like this at madepossible.org.
28
CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS TODAY Summer 2024
http://www.madepossible.org
Children's Hospitals Today - Summer 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Children's Hospitals Today - Summer 2024
