Declynns fight against cancer.

On November 23, 2021, Declynn was taken to the emergency room for pain in her stomach, which had been occurring off and on for a couple weeks. After a CT scan, we were informed that there was a very large mass in her abdomen and we were referred to Sanford Children's Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD that same evening. Upon Declynn being admitted to the Castle, we met with the surgeon who advised that surgery would be performed the next day. So, that next day they performed surgery for what was thought to be a removable tumor, a "teratoma". After a couple hours in surgery, the surgeon returned to tell us the mass couldn't be removed because of its size and location and that it appeared to be some type of spindle cell sarcoma. To hear that our baby girl could possibly have cancer was absolutely devastating and gut-wrenching. We then waited 10 days for results from a biopsy, which then needed to be reviewed at Mayo Clinic in Rochester for confirmation.Finally, after two (2) agonizing weeks of waiting, we were notified today, December 9th, that Declynn has a malignant tumor known as Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma. That being said, we were advised that it is serious but treatable and the doctors are optimistic. A PET scan and bone marrow biopsy will be done next week to ensure there are no other areas that need to be looked at. Today we start a nine month journey of chemo and radiation to reduce the size of the tumor to a removable size. Declynn is in good spirits as any 5 year old would be who doesn't completely understand what is ahead of her. She is a fighter and very stubborn but has such a tender heart and we often find her consoling us. We will fight with her and we will beat this!

We ask for continued prayers and we appreciate all the support we have already received; it means more to us than you will ever know. We will continue to post updates going forward regarding Declynn's journey.

All our love,

Chad and Wendy