OUR HEROES

Name: Oracio
Age: 10
Diagnosis: Leukemia

Oracio is a 10- year- old that was diagnosed with Leukemia (ALL) in October 2020. For Oracio it all started with a bad landing down a water slide. He was in a lot of pain and could not get up. Mom took him to his doctor to see if anything was broken. The X-rays showed no fractures. It took him a few days to feel better. Two weeks later he had problems standing and walking. This time Mom took him to the ER in Tarzana. There the doctor ordered a CT Scan and full blood work panel because Oracio has Down Syndrome and they wanted to make sure there was nothing else going on. The results showed 3 cracks in his spine and his blood work came back abnormal. He was sent immediately to CHLA. Leukemia ALL was confirmed.

Name: Peyton
Age: 1
Diagnosis: Brain Tumor

Peyton was 8 months old when she was diagnosed with Cerebellar Astrocytoma (Brain Tumor) in December 2020. Peyton started vomiting at every feed. Due to COVID, Mom called her pediatrician and was asked to bring her in. Doctor saw her and said it was a stomach bug. The next day she was worse. They took her to Kaiser Urgent Care. The attending doctor said she was dehydrated and gave her an IV. He asked them to follow up with her pediatrician on Monday. Peyton was not getting better and they took her to Kaiser Urgent Care again. Since it was the 3rd time coming in for the same thing they admitted her. The doctor ordered more tests and a CT Scan. Unfortunately they found a mass in her brain. After further testing they confirmed that it was a malignant tumor.

Name: Lincoln
Age: 3
Diagnosis: Brain Tumor

Lincoln is 3 years old and was diagnosed with ETMR (brain tumor) in January 2021. In mid-December 2020, Lincoln started vomiting everything he ate. Mom thought it was a stomach bug and gave him the BRAT diet for a few days. Ten days went by and he was still not doing well. Mom took him to Urgent Care and they told her it was a stomach virus. Three weeks later Mom took Lincoln to his pediatrician and he ordered a COVID test and a CT-Scan. He was negative for COVID but the CT-Scan showed a 7 cm tumor. He had surgery to remove the tumor on January 5, 2021.

Name: Danielle
Age: 14
Diagnosis: Ovarian Cancer

Danielle was 14 years old when she was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer in July 2020. At first her doctor thought it was a hormone imbalance and sent her to a specialist for further testing. The specialist ordered blood work and an ultrasound. Unfortunately, the test results revealed a mass. Danielle was sent immediately to CHLA for treatment.