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Sara Stark
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Sara was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor labeled an ependymoma in November 2000, just before her second birthday. The pediatric micro-neurosurgeon removed all of her tumor during an 11- hour surgery but couldn’t rule out a recurrence of the cancer. Faced with the challenge of searching the world for a treatment, we learned that the only known treatment for this particular pathology was radiation but it was not recommended for children under three due to the dangerous side effects.
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| Shortly thereafter, we came across a doctor at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital who had pioneered a form of conformal radiation specifically for tumors in children under the age of three. He was currently conducting a research study and receiving good results with his patients with the main intention of keeping the cancer away and reducing the brain damage traditional radiation normally would cause. He had also treated almost ten times as many patients as any other oncologist in the world with Sara’s diagnosis.
With clearly no other option available to us, we packed up and left our home in Vancouver, WA for St. Jude in Memphis, TN and Sara became roughly the 60th patient enrolled in this research study. We arrived at St. Jude the day after her 2nd birthday. She does not remember her initial ordeal of enduring brain surgery and radiation treatment but she does know and love St. Jude for the wonderful hospital with loving doctors and nurses where we returned every three months for the first three years and now every six months for her very important check ups. Sara had her 5 and ½ year check up in June of 2006 and continues to be cancer–free.
St. Jude has paid for all of Sara’s treatment including airfare and lodging when we stay in Memphis. I know for certain that we would have never been able to afford the experimental treatment that insurance would not have covered let alone the airfare for the necessary frequent trips to Memphis. Today Sara’s treatment has become a national protocol for ependymomas and has been made available in other hospitals, including hospitals in the Northwest, thanks to St. Jude.
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| Sara is a bright, happy little girl who has shown absolutely no deficits or side effects whatsoever from her cancer or treatment. She is in the second grade, reading at a fifth grade level and is testing at the top of her class. She loves to play with her brother, sister and friends, takes piano lessons and plays both indoor and outdoor soccer. The one thing that we are sure of today is that our family life with Sara would not be nearly as enriched and Sara would not be as healthy as she is if it were not for the doctors and healthcare professionals at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. |
Sara Stark presents the check with her brother and sister at the conclusion of the KMPS 2006 St. Jude Radiothon
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