Jillian’s Fight

One of the most interesting aspects of being a pediatric oncologist has to do with the dramatic differences in types of relationships you are capable of having with your patients depending on their age.  A toddler, for example, may not understand what is happening to them.  An eight-year-old may be scared, but with a good video

game or a visit from a Red Sox player, you can make them forget their fear.  Teenagers and young adults are entirely different, especially when cancer forces them to grow up very, very quickly - oftentimes they won’t hesitate to tell you how things are going to be.

Such was the case with Jillian, a very feisty young woman who came to Children’s Hospital Boston on Halloween after she noticed that her face was swollen and that she was having difficulty breathing.  A chest X-ray and CT scan quickly showed her to have a large mass in her chest compressing major blood vessels and air passages.  A biopsy showed us that she had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes, and given her symptoms was in need of urgent treatment.  Fortunately, her tumor was very responsive to chemotherapy and after the first two courses the tumor began to shrink, and Jillian’s symptoms began to abate.  Once she began to feel better, she quickly adapted to the rigors of her treatment program and took control.  Before long she had a collection of beautiful wigs, including one from her boyfriend, that changed with her moods.  She very pointedly told me that I better make sure that we had her out of the hospital for her 18th birthday (we did).  She also made certain to let me know whenever she could that the central line in her thigh was interfering with her sense of fashion (apparently tight jeans and central lines don’t go well together) and that it better be out in time for her big party to celebrate the end of her treatment (it was).  Jillian’s hot pink  “Cancer Sucks” sweatshirt captured the essence of her spirit in her fight against this disease.  I never heard a “why me?” from her, and never heard a complaint, and never saw her determination waver.  Today she is recovering beautifully from her treatment, with stylishly short hair, and her spirit and sense of humor (and fashion) completely intact. 

Jillian is winning her fight against cancer.  Your donation through the Pan-Mass Challenge will support pediatric oncology programs at the Jimmy Fund Clinic, directly helping in the care of children, adolescents and teenagers.  Please click here to make a donation today in honor of Jillian, her family and her bright future.