Meet Adalyn!

Adalyn is a vibrant, happy and energetic 2-year-old who was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma in May 2024. 

Just after her second birthday, on a beautiful spring afternoon in April, her parents noticed that a small nodule in her mouth had suddenly grown to the size of a blueberry. Concerned, they scheduled an urgent visit to her pediatrician. Initially thought to be a swollen salivary gland, her pediatrician recommended a second opinion.  Within days, a biopsy was performed at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia after an oral surgeon identified the growth as potentially requiring advanced care.   The results from a team of pathologists concluded that Adalyn had an aggressive soft-tissue sarcoma cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma.

Due to the primary tumor's size and location, up-front surgical removal wasn’t an option, as it risked damaging too much healthy tissue. Instead, Adalyn’s Oncology team at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia devised an intensive treatment plan, including 40 consecutive weeks weeks of chemotherapy: 14 cycles of Vincristine, Actinomycin and Cyclophosphamide (VAC), as well as weeks of daily of proton-beam radiation therapy at Penn Medicine's Roberts Proton Therapy Center. 

Thanks to her incredible resilience and the care of her incredible team at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Adalyn’s treatment has shown success thus far.

Nonetheless, As of early 2025, a follow-up MRI and PET scan revealed abnormalities and mild FDG uptake present around the initial tumor location, which is now currently under surveillance.  However, distant metastasis was not observed!

Adalyn’s parents remain hopeful and confident that her treatment journey will conclude successfully in 2025.  Despite facing chronic neutropenia, critical conditions, hospital inpatient stays, and countless blood transfusions, Adalyn has remained happy and playful through it all.  She is truly a warrior and a testament to maintaining faith, courage, strength, and love.