Rare cancer hits home, twice
Julia Garmo in her room at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego. - Rick NoconCourage Through Cancer is a bi-weekly series of stories in the Health section about the unbeatable spirit of San Diegans fighting cancer.Like any other 6-year-old, Julia Garmo was happy to see her daddy walk through the door after a long day. She clung to him like a monkey, her legs circling his chest and her arms tight around his neck.
David Garmo paced the room, hugging his little girl, while Anita Garmo - who had spent the day taking care of her daughter - sat nearby, freed for a moment to catch up on the flood of messages on her phone.
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It might have been a typical post-workday reunion for the family, except this one was in Room 2102 of the Acute Care Pavilion at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego. Julia was again in the midst of a several-day stay for treatment related to her cancer.
After two rounds of chemotherapy, Julia's head was hairless. So was her dad's, shaved in solidarity.
"We both got it the same day," says David.
It's been a hard road for Julia and her parents since early November, when Julia - an energetic first-grader with long, brown hair and a love of soccer - was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma, a rare cancer that most always occurs in very young children.
In Julia's case it was discovered because she'd been complaining of a stiff and painful neck. When her mother took her to the doctor, blood work and a CT scan revealed the illness and a tumor pushing on her spinal cord.
Within two weeks, she went through more tests, one surgery to remove some of the tumor and another to insert a catheter in her chest. Her first round of chemotherapy quickly followed.
Julia is doing as well as can be expected. She'd rather be home playing with her four siblings or going to school, but - for the most part - she's been understanding and patient. Her parents have told her she's very sick and it's going to take a long time to get better.
"She's very easygoing, thank God, and just amazing," says Anita. "She just kind of goes with the flow and doesn't complain too much and doesn't keep asking to go home or wonder why she keeps coming here."
Julia Garmo is checked by RN, BSN Heather Everette while Julia's mother Anita Garmo (L) and family friend Marianna Ablahad wait for results at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego. - Rick Nocon***
For Anita and David Garmo, however, every day has been a trial.
This is the second time they've walked this painful path. Their son, Isaac, now 10, was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma when he was 13 months old. After going through chemotherapy, radiation treatments and stem-cell transplants, he's been in remission since 2005.
About 700 people in the United States are diagnosed with neuroblastoma each year. Malignant tumors develop from nerve cells, and by the time most patients are diagnosed, the cancer already has spread (stage 4). In some cases, a gene passed from a parent to a child can increase the risk for the cancer.
When Anita, 35, learned Julia was afflicted with the same cancer as Isaac, she was shocked.
"My worst nightmare pretty much came true," she wrote on her blog (juliasjourney.org) just days after the diagnosis.