Hello, my name is Sebastian Antonio Castro, but everyone calls me Sebas. My birthday is April 12, 2019. On February 1, 2020, my grandma's birthday, I wasn't feeling well and kept throwing up everything I ate. My mommy and daddy were very worried, so on February 2, my parents took me to see my pediatrician, Dr. Harvey Simovitch. After weighing me and noticing I had lost a lot of weight, Dr. Simovitch examined me and felt a lump on my right side. He told my parents to take me to the Children's Hospital right away for an ultrasound to see what it was.
The ultrasound revealed a mass, but they couldn't determine what it was, so I had to be admitted for a CT scan. However, my blood pressure was very high, so I was transferred from the cancer unit to the ICU to get it under control, delaying the CT scan. In the ICU, they inserted a PICC line and an arterial line. We finally did the CT scan, which showed a tumor. A biopsy was needed to confirm if it was cancerous.
On February 4, 2020, the biopsy revealed that I had stage 3 neuroblastoma. Dr. Fader informed us that we needed to start chemotherapy immediately because the tumor was pressing down on my kidneys, causing my high blood pressure. My first chemo treatment took place in the ICU on February 7. I stayed in the ICU until just before my second chemo treatment, after which I was transferred back to the cancer unit for my next round of chemo, which was very tough.
On March 6, I had my first blood transfusion to prepare for my next chemo round. By March 20, I had completed three rounds of chemo. On April 12, my first birthday, I had my fourth round of chemo. On May 16, 2020, I underwent a 12-hour surgery to remove 90% of my tumor, followed by three weeks in the PICU to recover. After being discharged, we received a call that I needed to go back for two more rounds of strong chemotherapy.
After completing these rounds, Dr. Fader recommended a new oral chemo pill called Lorbrena. At 15 months old, I had to learn to swallow a 25mg tablet. I took this medication for two years. In September 2022, I rang the end-of-treatment bell. Now, I have scans every four months to check if the tumor remains inactive.
My favorite colors are red and blue, and I love dinosaurs and trains. We have my next set of scans scheduled for May.