Courageous Claudia
17 Feb 2010
The brave 5 year old was diagnosed with a Wilms Tumour in June 2009. Read about her experience and how we were able to help Claudia and her family
Turning cartwheels with relentless energy, Claudia Little is a delightful and bubbly five-year-old.
However her life took a tumble when she was admitted to hospital with suspected appendicitis.
It was a fall in kindergarten that highlighted to Carolyn that Claudia was not her usual self. She was experiencing lower abdominal pain and this prompted Carolyn to take Claudia to get examined. The symptoms eventually became unbearable for Claudia, causing her to tip-toe around in effort to reduce the amount of pain she was experiencing.
She was initially admitted to Starship Children’s Hospital with appendicitis. However during surgery doctors discovered a large haematoma on her kidney. An ultrasound and biopsy later diagnosed her with Wilms Tumour.
The first obstacle in Claudia’s way was undergoing six weeks of chemotherapy to shrink the tumour before the surgeons could remove her kidney. Claudia being the brave girl she is took it all in her stride. Claudia was put onto an extensive treatment plan which included seven days of radiation and a further six months of chemotherapy.
How we helped...
The Little family acknowledges the support they have received from the wider community. “It was great having the Child Cancer Foundation workers visiting; they are someone from outside the hospital that you can talk to.
The Beads of Courage have been a motivating factor for Claudia every time she goes for treatment. “The beads are something pretty she can look at and each one is something really significant,” says Carolyn. Claudia has so far received over 180 beads for eight months of treatment. “My favourite is the purple bead because purple is my favourite colour,” says Claudia.
Claudia now
Having finished chemotherapy treatment in January, Claudia is regaining her former spring. She started school in February and will no doubt be showing her peers a thing or two on how to do cartwheels in the playground.
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