A 21-month-old baby from Kentucky just beat cancer after a year and a half of chemo and intense medical procedures.
Molly Hughes had been diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma when she was just 4 months old. By the time the doctors discovered her disease, it has already spread throughout her body.
Slim Chance Of Survival
Molly spent a total of 130 nights in the hospital undergoing intense treatment such as chemo, radiation, stem cell transplants, and immunotherapy. Her chemo lasted for five rounds, and throughout that brutal time, Molly's family was positive that she could survive them all. After her test results came back cancer-free last week, Molly's mother is in high spirits.
"Just like fell to the ground after I got off the phone. I just hugged her for like five minutes," said Chelsea Hughes, Molly's mom, to her interview at 13 News. "We were just so relieved. She's happy and playful and just doing normal things again, but we still have to keep our guard up."
Now that she's out of the hospital, Molly is constantly outside playing and doing what she loves, according to Molly her mom. She believes that prayers from her family and friends helped Molly go into remission, and they pray she wouldn't have to go through it all again.
Because of all the cancer treatment, Molly lost part of her hearing, so she has to wear hearing aids. She is also on a new type of trial drug that will prevent cancer from returning.
What Is Neuroblastoma?
Neuroblastoma is one of the most common types of cancers that affect children and infants. Usually, cancer forms way before the infant is born, but it is usually detected much later when cancer has already ravaged the body.
Chance of recovery is good if the disease is discovered early, and in Molly's case, the doctors found out when she was just 4 months old. In this disease, a tumor is usually formed somewhere inside the body and caused by immature nerve cells that develop into cancer cells instead of functioning nerve cells.
This type of cancer is aggressive and especially tricky to diagnose as its symptoms are similar to other common childhood illnesses. Initial symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, constant fatigue, and swollen stomach.
Future For Molly
As she is into remission, Molly still needs to be careful and take her meds so cancer won't have a chance to come back. Neuroblastoma usually has a high chance of relapse, so Molly still needs to come to the hospital every three months for scans. This will go on until she's five years old.
In the meantime, Molly just enjoys her time playing and running outside their backyard. According to Molly's mom, they'll be celebrating their little girl's remission at the beach, where Molly will get a chance to swim for the very first time.
