Life Happens Fast
In September 2021, our son Silas was less than an hour into a 4-hour surgery when we got an unexpected phone call from the surgeon. This is the story of how cancer has affected our family and why we want to give back.
Diagnosis
As twins, Silas and his sister, Claire, were monitored closely in utero. At Lauren’s 34-week ultrasound, the radiologist identified an abnormality with Silas’s left kidney and recommended we follow up with urology after birth. At first, urology believed the issue to be relatively minor and recommended Silas continue to be monitored. When Silas was three months old, we noticed a firm, growing mass in his belly and advocated for him to get more imaging. An ultrasound revealed his left kidney was enlarged and suspected to be retraining urine due to a blocked ureter and a duplicated collecting system.
In the next month, Silas underwent surgery to insert a nephrostomy tube to drain urine from his kidney externally into a bag as a short-term solution. The nephrostomy tube improved his condition slightly, but after a week his discomfort increased again which prompted another surgery to insert a second tube. Now with two external nephrostomy tubes/bags, Silas was awaiting surgery with the hospital’s only robotic-assisted machine to correct the suspected issue. Sensing something was not right, Lauren called every day for weeks with the hopes to his expedite his surgery. Finally, on Monday, September 20, 2021, Silas was an hour into his 4-hour surgery when we got an unexpected call from the surgeon. After more imaging in the operating room and a consultation with oncology, the surgeon canceled the surgery, now believing the growing mass to be a large cystic-style tumor. The next day, MRI confirmed this suspicion. On Thursday, September 23, at four months old, Silas underwent surgery to remove his left kidney and the associated tumor. Further testing confirmed our greatest fear - Silas had stage 3 kidney cancer.
Treatment & Recovery
After the successful nephrectomy, the pathology results guided oncology’s official diagnosis of a Stage 3 Wilms tumor, a type of kidney cancer, with evidence of disease in nearby lymph nodes. Silas spent a total of 11 days in the hospital as we alternated who stayed with Silas and who went home to care for his twin sister (with many thanks to family for the additional support). As Silas recovered from the major abdominal surgery which left an incision about 3/4 of the way across his belly, oncology planned the roadmap for his treatment. Because the tumor had been compromised by the first two surgeries and disease was found in the lymph nodes, 6 days of radiation and an additional chemotherapy drug were added to the nine 3-week cycles of chemotherapy.
Anyone who has witnessed or been affected by cancer knows the challenges of treatment, but our strong little guy handled every hurdle like a champion. Silas faced his fair share of struggles along the way, but he remained our happy, silly, smiley boy through it all. He completed treatment and rang the bell on March 29, 2022. We are unbelievably grateful that he remains in remission and he will continue to receive periodic imaging to ensure his remission continues.
Giving Back
From the first time we entered the urology office, through multiple surgeries, recoveries, treatments and follow-ups, Silas has been cared for by some of the best doctors and nurses in the country. The incredible care that Silas received, and continues to receive, from Dr. James Geller and the entire Children’s Hospital staff (oncology, urology, in-patient nursing, radiology, etc.) has inspired us to give back.
Just 3 days before Silas and Claire were born, we lost Eric’s father (Silas’s grandfather) to cancer and his memorial fund went to Children’s Hospital. That decision will forever resonate with us as a sign that our son’s grandfather is always watching over him even though he never had the chance to meet Silas. The fact that our son was a beneficiary of others’ generosity through his grandfather’s memory is another motivating factor for us to continue passing along that generosity to others.
Thank you for your support!
To all those who have supported our family through Silas’s journey with cancer, we owe you our sincerest gratitude. The immeasurable support of our family, friends and community is truly overwhelming.
-Eric, Lauren, Silas & Claire
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