Amelia Hantske
Amelia Hantske
6 years old
Stage IV Neuroblastoma, high risk, n-myc amplified, NED
Annapolis, MD, United States
http://www.caringbridge.org/md/amelia
Our Story
Amelia Hantske was born in Annapolis, Maryland in May of 2002, a perfectly healthy, beautiful baby girl. When she was ten months old we found a bump on the top of her head. Little did we know that it was only the tip of the iceberg. Upon examination, Amelia’s pediatrician found that she was severely anemic and that her abdomen was enlarged. We were sent immediately to Johns Hopkins Pediatric Emergency where a team of doctors examined Amelia and ran a barrage of tests ultimately finding three tumors. They found one on her head, one consuming her right ovary, and the primary tumor in her abdomen by her left kidney. After surgery to remove the first two tumors and a biopsy of the primary tumor Amelia was diagnosed with stage IV, high risk, n-myc amplified, neuroblastoma, an often-deadly children’s cancer of the sympathetic nervous system. Amelia followed the Sloan-Kettering N7 protocol at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore. During her intense treatment she was hospitalized three out of every four weeks. She underwent six rounds of high-dose chemotherapy, a complete resection of the primary tumor and received a stem-cell transplant September 2003. Then she traveled to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City for 12 rounds of radiation therapy and ten months of 3F8 antibody immunotherapy. Amelia is five years old now and has been free of disease since August 2003. The late-effects of her treatment have been mild compared to most survivors. She has high frequency hearing loss, weak malformed teeth, and a growth hormone deficiency. Amelia has a sister, Kathryn, who is ten and a brother, Benjamin, who is eight. They have survived this cancer too as siblings do. Amelia is doing very well today. It has been four years since her diagnosis and we are eternally grateful for her health. We continue to live with the knowledge that this beast, neuroblastoma, could still be lurking in our lives, so we quietly live each day to the fullest. Children’s cancer affects whole families. It shows no mercy. We need to find a cure.
Thank you
Thank you for coming to this site to see who we are. We hope you have learned enough to understand the need for research in this world where many children are suffering and dying. With further cuts in government funding we must rely on private funds to find the cure. You can help us find a cure. You can change our world. We are grateful that you have come here. Have a seat and please don't forget to leave your lunch.