Nola Cantrell started kindergarten this year.  Her favorite color is purple, and she takes her stuffed Piggie every where she goes.  Nola's favorite food is mac & cheese most days; it's pizza others.  Nola loves her twin sissy, Poppy, so much that they squeeze into their (appropriately named) twin-sized top bunk together every night.  Nola loves riding her "big girl bike" and swims like a fish at her grandparents' houses. Nola also has cancer.

Sweet Nola was diagnosed with Stage 4 Sclerosing Epithelioid Fibrosarcoma (SEF), an extremely rare form of cancer, in May of 2016.  She was two years old.   Pediatric cases of SEF have only been found in a couple of kids, and Nola is one of the youngest known patients to be diagnosed.    



Nola endured a six-month course of chemotherapy, 30 days of radiation treatments, an 11-month clinical trial, and four surgeries to remove tumors.  She celebrated her 3rd birthday in the hospital.  And finally, after more than 18 months of fighting, Nola's cancer appeared to be gone.  

But after 20 months of scans indicating no evidence of disease, Nola's most recent scan looked different.  Doctors found several spots of concern on her left lung, indicating that her cancer was back.  Fortunately, the tumors are small.  Nola will have surgery on Tuesday, October 1, 2019 to remove the cancer from her left lung, more than three years after her initial diagnosis.  



Nola's moms, Kaci Cantrell and Jessica Warlick, are my best friends. My kids love Nola and Poppy like they're sisters.  Kaci and Jessica have fought alongside Nola tirelessly over these three years, enduring more days in the hospital than any child should.  Nola's surgery and subsequent medical care are extremely costly, and I hope you'll consider joining Team Nola with positive thoughts, prayers, and support.