The Childhood Cancer Blog
The Childhood Cancer Blog
Margaux was diagnosed with dysgerminoma, a rare ovarian cancer, at age twelve.
Margaux is now 17 years old and a senior in high school
There is a particular kind of loneliness that has nothing to do with being alone.
I was twelve years old when I was diagnosed with dysgerminoma, a rare form of ovarian cancer. It was September 2020 — the height of the pandemic — and no visitors were allowed into my room at Sutter California Pacific Medical Center. No brother, no friends, no other patients. Just four walls and a sixth-floor window overlooking the Geary and Van Ness intersection. I would watch the pedestrians below, moving through their ordinary evenings, and feel the distance between us like a physical weight.... Read More
Rare cancers collectively make up 15% of all pediatric cancer diagnoses. These types of cancer can range from lung cancer (common in adults but rare in kids), thyroid cancer (one of the most common rare tumors that just hasn’t been studied), and other tumors that only affect a small number of kids each year. Many of these rare cancers have never had a research study focused specifically on them.
The lack of research data doesn’t mean progress has stalled. Instead of relying on single institution studies, which often struggle to enroll enough kids, scientists studying rare... Read More
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