Eylah’s Story

On December 29th, 2019 while enjoying a cuddle with mommy on the couch, mom noticed a lump on Eylah’s belly. It didn’t hurt when mom pushed around on it. It was roughly the size of a ping pong ball. The next morning, mom called and made an appointment with our primary care doctor. The soonest we could be seen was Friday, the 3rd.  Every single day this thing got a little bigger, and a little bigger. 
On Friday our primary doctor gave her an exam and decided we needed to run some labs, and also ordered a CT scan.  “If they don’t call you by Tuesday, call me and I’ll expedite the order. In the mean time, if she started complaining of pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, go straight to the emergency room.”  
On Saturday the 4th, right after dinner, Eylah started to vomit. We went straight to Riley. 
The emergency room team decided she should get an ultrasound and CT scan right then. The scans confirmed she did have a large mass in her belly, but also three smaller ones in her left lung, and one in her right. Cancer. The mass in her belly is growing from a muscle in her back, and putting pressure on her right kidney, not allowing it to drain completely. From there we were admitted to the oncology/hematology floor. They arranged for surgery on Monday to do a biopsy of the tumor in her belly, and place a stint from the kidney to the bladder so it can drain properly before the kidney started to freak out. They sent us home on Tuesday to get some quality family time before we get readmitted for treatment. 
This is the most surreal feeling. I still feel like I’m in some dream, functioning on auto pilot. Her team at Riley is amazing!!! They never hesitate to hear us out completely with our concerns and have been so patient with our bazillion questions. They offered hugs when all I could do was stand in a corner and sob. The next few months will be the hardest we have ever been through, both as individuals and as a family, but we know our baby is in great hands, and we are in the best treatment facility for kid cancers. The surgeon was able to take enough tissue during the biopsy to share with the research team and help developing medicine, better diagnose and treat whatever form this ends up being.