Story
Vanessa, 5-years-old, Salah Foundation Children’s Hospital at Broward Health
Vanessa was diagnosed with Wilms’ Tumor (kidney cancer) October 2019. She has undergone two surgeries, radiation and chemotherapy. After her first surgery, parents were told Vanessa’s life was in danger so her malignant tumor was not extracted. Vanessa remained hospitalized for over one month and during her second surgery, her kidney surrounded by the cancerous tumor was successfully removed. Doctors tried to provide her chemotherapy and radiation treatments, but her suppressed immune system would not tolerate both treatments. In a second attempt she received extensive radiation followed by chemotherapy and will soon need a Bone Marrow Transplant. Her case is complicated because of her secondary diagnosis. Bloom’s Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder, makes her more sensitive to chemotherapy often causing intolerable and adverse side effects.
Needs
Vanessa’s parents plea for rent assistance to prevent the family from losing their mobile home and gift cards for food / gas. Her hard working father lost his job working at a restaurant due to the pandemic. Vanessa’s mother had to stop working as a housekeeper to care for her full-time.
