Meet Khloé, a stage 4 Sacrococcygeal Teratoma germ cell tumor hero.
had the stomach flu for two weeks and was complaining of stomach pain. The third time she visited the pediatrician, her mother, Kelly, urged them to get blood tests because she felt that there was more going on. Khloé’s doctor called to let her know that Khloé’s blood counts were off and that she needed to get to Children’s Hospital immediately. Initial ultrasounds didn’t show anything, so a second doctor came in and found a massive tumor.
“Once my daughter had her ultrasound and doctor informed us of tumor we were in a state of shock and disbelief! More doctors came in to talk with us as I had many questions, but the number one question was Is my daughter going to die? Is the tumor cancerous,” remembers Kelly.
Khloé’s treatment started immediately after the tumor removal from her abdomen and she underwent two years and eight months of treatment. The tumor ruptured which led to surgeons removing her left ovary and cancer cells from her uterus. In the span of one year, Khloé relapsed three times. She underwent Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC )Surgery in hopes of applying chemotherapy directly inside her abdomen but it did not work. After an excruciating 12-hour surgery, Khloé spent three days in the intensive care unit and several weeks after in patient. At that point, the cancer had metastasized to Khloé’s lungs and liver.
Khloé had two autogolous stem cell transplants along with chemotherapy to eliminate the cancer and put her back into remission. Unfortunately this was the last option for Khloé and her family and she was given six months to live. Her family was determined to help her live as long as they could, so they explored other options including holistic medicine.
“Our beloved and precious Khloé fought for as long as she could, but lost her battle with cancer on August 30, 2022, four months after her 11th birthday.”
Learn more about Khloé’s tumor here.
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