“But Kyla’s mom casually mentioned that both Kyla’s grandmothers thought her belly looked big.” Only a few months prior, during a regular check-up, there was no indication of a mass in Kyla’s abdomen; now Dr. Tenney felt a mass about 3 or 4 inches large. Whatever the mass was, it had grown rapidly. Dr. Tenney immediately sent her to their local hospital for x-rays. “The x-ray technician came out and looked at me sad, and then she said, ‘I’m so sorry,’” Kristi remembers. “I cried the whole way home.” The next day, Kristi and Kyla traveled to Geisinger’s Janet Weis Children’s Hospital for tests, which revealed that the mass found in Kyla’s abdomen was a highly aggressive malignant tumor arising from the kidney called clear cell sarcoma. “It’s an extremely rare cancer seen in children,” says Jagadeesh Ramdas, MD, a Janet Weis Children’s Hospital pediatric oncologist. “There are only about 20 cases diagnosed in the United States each year.” He adds that it is a very aggressive tumor, and the chances of its spreading to the lungs, bone or brain are very high. For that reason, Kyla needed to undergo surgery quickly to remove both the tumor and her affected kidney. “We had people talking to us and trying to explain,” Kristi says, “but it’s so hard to listen to them and feel what you’re feeling.” The kidney and tumor were removed only a few days later. To combat any remainder of the cancer, Kyla started courses of radiation, which lasted roughly two weeks, and chemotherapy, which lasted six months. The family faced struggles throughout the intense treatments. They made the hour-long trip from their home to Janet Weis Children’s Hospital on a regular basis for the chemotherapy sessions, as well as emergency trips when Kyla developed fevers. Because of her weakened immune system, a side effect of chemotherapy treatments, Kyla couldn’t be around other children at home. Moreover, the youngster faced the effects from the treatments, such as losing her hair. The question of why this was happening to Kyla – why it would happen to any child – was a common thought, Kristi says, and she learned that her daughter wasn’t the only one facing health battles. “I never in a million years thought this could happen,” she says. “Then I noticed that everyone I talked to knew someone whose child had a serious medical issue. You just don’t realize until you’re in that situation.” Still, Kristi says, Kyla was cheerful and positive throughout the entire ordeal and her stays at Janet Weis Children’s Hospital. While doctors and nurses helped her recover using Children’s Miracle Network-funded equipment, Kyla was eager to play and watch movies on the Children’s Miracle Network-funded DVD player in her room. “She was a real trooper,” Kristi says. “She was so brave, and always so happy. Every time she had chemotherapy, she was better than I was.” Today, Kyla – who loves to play with her friends and her little brother, and who hopes to be a singer and dancer when she gets older – has gone more than three years without any sign of the cancer’s return. She is able to enjoy just being a kid and faces no real restrictions, despite having only one kidney. She also is proud of her scars, even though she doesn’t remember much about those days in the hospital. Her parents have told her the story of her strength and recovery, however, and she has seen the photos of her as she went through treatments. “She realizes she was sick, and she is so concerned about her younger brother, Bryce. She would look at the photos and say, ‘I don’t want Bryce to get sick like that,’” Kristi says. “She’s an amazing girl,” says Dr. Tenney, who continues to care for both Kyla and Bryce. “She’s so imaginative and active, and I hope she will achieve everything she wants to in life.” According to Dr. Ramdas, “soon Kyla will be considered a long-term childhood cancer survivor. The population of childhood and adolescent cancer survivors is large and growing, with about more than 300,000 survivors of childhood cancer survivors in United States. More than three-quarters of childhood cancers, if caught early, can be cured.” “I hope this experience makes her stronger,” Kristi adds, noting how strong and positive her young daughter was as she battled cancer. “It was a tough obstacle, but we got through it.” Meet Kyla during the annual Children's Miracle Network at Geisinger Celebration June 2 and 3 on WYOU 22. | 
