BrAva Children

Jillian

Jillian Raye Hanes was born a healthy 9lb 9oz baby on May 4, 2010.  She had a “normal” first year of life, but that soon changed.  She was taken to her pediatrician on July 7, 2011 after a lump on her belly was discovered.  An x-ray showed an enlarged liver, and her pediatrician sent her immediately to Nationwide Children’s Hospital.  Within three hours of being in the ER, and only two months after her first birthday, Jillian was diagnosed with a Wilms Tumor.

Jillian returned four days later to have a nephrectomy on July 11, 2012.  Her right kidney was removed, along with a tumor slightly larger than a baseball.  The pathology report showed that the tumor was Stage One with good histology.  She was scheduled for Chemotherapy just a few weeks later.  During her treatment scans, spots were discovered on her lungs. On December 16, 2011, after watching the spots appear, disappear, and then more appear, her doctors decided that she needed to have a biopsy.

On December 22, 2011 Jillian had another surgery to remove and biopsy the spots on her lungs.  We spent Christmas at Nationwide Hospital, but received a Christmas miracle.  The surgeon called to tell us that her results showed that there was no disease, only pulmonary tissue!

She is now on a three-month follow-up schedule.  Her scans in April, June, and September have shown no evidence of disease.  She is currently cancer-free and plans to keep it that way!  She is a fighter and will continue to help us fight for a cure for childhood cancer.