Carlina's Battle Against Ewings

Carlina is a bright, young, caring girl who has been diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Ewing's Sarcoma. This is a rare, aggressive form of bone cancer. This is her second major battle that she is facing in her short lifetime. She was born two months early, yet was one fierce preemie. She dominated the NICU and kept her nurses all on their toes.

So far in her treatment she has had 2 rounds of chemotherapy, biopsies, scans, surgery, and a port placement. She has already lost all of her hair, which was shocking (we didn't expect it to happen all at once). She is in great spirits though and is handling it well.

Her two younger brother, Cris and Charlie, miss her terribly when she is gone for treatment. She is definitely the glue between that trio. As a parent, I never imagined to have children who are so attached to each other, but these ones definitely are. I joke, sometimes, that when they are apart and sad and missing each other that their umbilical cord is being stretched too far. They are so close that sometimes it seems as though they are all attached by one.

Carlina's course of treatment involves being admitted to the hospital every other week for chemo. She sometimes has to stay for a week at a time, leaving very little time in between. She will eventually need another surgery to remove the tumor (currently softball sized) in her leg. After the surgery will be another 6 months of chemo every other week. The goal is to get rid of it all with this one treatment cycle, but the reality is that this cancer is due to a chromosomal abnormality, so the chance of recurrence is high. Her dad and I have a lot of faith though. Carlina is a fighter, she always has been.