Our Hero Brooke… Not All Endings Are Happy for Childhood Cancer Heroines
On April 30, 2012 Shari, Jay, Hannah and Brooke Nudelman were, viciously, thrown into the world of childhood cancer. Up until two weeks before April 30, 2012 Brooke HOPE Nudelman was a happy, playful and healthy looking fourteen month old little girl who loved playing with her older sister, Hannah, and her dog, Bella. Around mid-April, 2012 Shari and Jay noticed Brooke acting ‘funny’ or ‘off’. Brooke was taken to her pediatrician. She was examined, but nothing of suspicion was found….certainly the tumors, aggressively, growing on her liver, lungs and mediastinum were not apparent. One week later Shari was not convinced nothing was wrong with her daughter. Brooke’s stomach was distended and Brooke appeared jaundice. Again, Shari brought her to the pediatrician. The cancerous tumors growing inside Brooke’s body was, only now, presenting to the pediatrician. After examination by every doctor in the practice, Brooke was sent immediately over to Robert Wood Johnson/Bristol Myers Squibb for imaging. Scans confirmed that Brooke, indeed, had a large tumor on her liver. It was also determined that, not only did Brooke have a mass growing on her liver, she also had nodes on both of her lungs and the mediastinum. Biopsy’s revealed that Brooke’s cancer was Epithelioid Sarcoma.
This type of disease is rare, seeing it in a child, is even more rare.
The oncology staff at RWJ/BMS did not sugar coat anything…they had not seen anything like this before. Regardless they would treat Brooke with the therapies they felt would most likely be able to kill the cancer. During the eight months of Brooke’s treatment she fought through several hard chemotherapy treatments and an eighteen hour Whipple surgery which cleared her liver of disease. Her little body took no breaks, as soon as her body recovered from a round of chemotherapy she was right back on the oncology floor for another. And the treatment was working. For many long months, chemotherapy was kicking cancer’s butt…and everyone triumphed. In late December, just after Hanukkah, during routine scans it was found that, even while on active chemotherapy, the cancer was growing back.
Devastation is not a word that even comes close to the feelings felt by Shari, Jay and the entire oncology team. Treatment ended. No more options, for a curative path, were there. Brooke has been home for over 3 months on palliative care. Aside from her chemo hair and Broviac port in her chest, you would never know this child has aggressive cancer growing inside of her. Brooke is an amazing little girl. Having turned two years old in February, she continues to inspire all who meet her. She teaches them how to live, why to love and what is NOT important. A parent goes from waking in the morning with only their day-to-day worries, to knowing your child has cancerous tumors growing in their bodies only mere hours later. How does that happen? Childhood cancer is not rare. Why do people keeping calling it rare? Childhood cancer is the number one disease killer of children ages fifteen and under.
In honor of Brooke, hug someone today. And pray that The Nudelmans continue to have the strength and courage to enjoy every minute with their beautiful family.
Shari, Jay, Hannah and Brooke…we love you and send you a continual flow of many warm hugs…
Love,
Sherrie Wells and the entire Hugs for Brady Foundation Family of Volunteers