Honored Kid

Sara M.

Age 20
Sara M. Kid Photo

Location

Chicago, IL, US

Diagnosis

Wilms or other kidney tumor

Date of Diagnosis

November 2008

Status

No evidence of disease

Treated At

Advocate Children's Hospital - Park Ridge

Change your kid's logo

My Story

2010 Ambassador Kid In October, Sara woke to her big sister singing "Happy Birthday," the rare smell of pancakes drifting up from the kitchen, and homemade birthday signs throughout the house. Later that day, her classmates dressed her up as a princess - crown and all - as they celebrated. Sound typical? "It was more than a fifth birthday," said Erin, Sara's mom. "It was a day of being thankful for the opportunity to enjoy Sara." In late 2008, Erin and her husband, Joe, found a lump on Sara's side while giving her a bath. The doctors suspected cancer, and after several tests, diagnosed Sara with Wilm's tumor. Sara had surgery to remove her left kidney and a twelve-centimeter tumor, but the cancer had also spread to her lungs and liver. After one year of treatment, Sara's scans show no evidence of disease (NED). All through treatment, Sara's family remained positive. "Cancer made us all better people. We always look for the good in every situation." And this 5-year-old little girl's zest for life is proof. Sara spends her mornings at preschool, afternoons following her older sister's lead, and practices her nursing skills on any willing person, already prepping for a future career as a pediatric oncology nurse. Even her hair is beginning to grow back, though she's rather disappointed that it isn't coming in blue. Photo by Kirk Shepherd Photography _______________________________________________ Sara was Diagnosed with nephroblastoma (Wilm's Tumor) on 12Nov08. The tumor on her left kidney was 12 cm, and spread to her chest and liver. Sara underwent 6 week of chemo before they removed her left kidney on 30Dec08. Following the surgery Sara will undergo 11 straight days of radiation treatment and 27 more weeks of chemo. Sara is a fighter, but she's not fighting this alone. Along with myself, my wife and our two other daughters, family and friends we are fighting this as one. LET'S GO SARA BEAT THAT CANCER

The Childhood Cancer Ripple Effect

Who's Honoring Me

Help Give Kids a Lifetime

Infants, children, teens and young adults are depending on us to find cures for childhood cancers — and to give survivors long and healthy lives.

Support lifesaving childhood cancer research today.

Photo submission policy

Please read the photo submission policy and accept below.

By submitting a photograph of yourself on www.StBaldricks.org, you agree to the following terms and conditions for submission of your photograph:

We strongly encourage all users to submit a before and after photo, so that donors and fellow participants can easily recognize and relate to one another.

Any photo containing cartoons, comics, celebrities, nudity, pornography, sexually explicit images or any copyrighted image (unless you own the copyright) is not permitted. This is because photos of celebrities and cartoon or comic images are generally copyrighted by the owner.

Uploading images of other people without their permission is also prohibited.

This photo submission policy applies to StBaldricks.org users. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation reserves the right to review all photos and to remove any photo for any reason at our sole discretion. If you see a photo on StBaldricks.org that you believe does not conform to this policy, email to WebQuestions@StBaldricks.org