Nicole's Story

Neuroblastoma Patient Finds Support in Therapy Dogs

At age seven. Nicole was already a little old, statistically speaking, to be diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a tumor of the adrenal gland that is found most commonly in infants and children less than five years old. In February, Nicole's mom Kari took the second-grader to their family doctor when she complained of stomach pains. Kari's first thought was appendicitis; but when the doctor examined Nicole, he found a lump in her neck. He ordered a CT scan and, suspecting cancer, called Dr. Joe Neglia at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Neglia asked if Nicole, who lives about an hour's drive from the Twin Cities, would be able to come in that same day. So Nicole's mom and dad, Kari and Dale, rushed her to Fairview-University Medical Center, arriving at nine o'clock that evening. There, she was diagnosed with stage IV (advanced) neuroblastoma.

Today, Nicole is an energetic nine-year-old who likes to ice skate, rollerblade, dance, and play with her little brother Brandon and their new puppy, a miniature dachshund called Nibber. Her cancer is in remission. "The therapy dogs that visited the hospital unit really helped Nicole get through," says Kari, "so we promised, as soon as the doctors said ok, we'd get a puppy." At the time of diagnosis, Nicole was a very sick little girl and the U doctors who were fighting her cancer, gave her "the works" - chemotherapy, surgery (to remove a large mass in her abdomen), radiation, even a bone marrow transplant. She got a bone marrow transplant not because the other treatments failed but because, says Kari, transplant "improves the chances" of children like Nicole who are diagnosed with advanced neuroblastoma.

In addition to undergoing these many forms of therapy, Nicole also participated in two national research studies sponsored by the Children's Cancer Group, a major clinical trials group to which the University of Minnesota belongs. For one study, her stem cells were harvested before chemotherapy and reinfused afterwards to speed her recovery from the effects of the chemotherapy drugs. For the other study, Nicole got immunotherapy treatment, receiving infusions of interleukin-2 combined with a specially-made antibody, as an experimental preventive measure to help keep her cancer from coming back. Kari is emphatic about the importance of cancer research. "When my husband and I talked about it we asked 'Is she going to be a guinea pig?' But if others hadn't volunteered, doctors wouldn't be where they are today, and we have to be able to help other people, too."

Although she is in remission, Nicole will not be considered cured until she has been cancer-free for five years. She still must return to the U's Oncology Clinic every three months for CT scans, bone scans, and lab work. So far the test results have always been good. To the casual observer, Nicole seems unchanged by her cancer experience, but Kari says it has made her daughter tougher and more independent. She herself tries to be philosophical. "We just have to wait and see. The longer out (from therapy) you are the better off you are. That's hard," she says. "You know you always want an answer."