On January 6, 2009, Ethan came down with a fever that lasted for more than 4 weeks. After hearing for several weeks from his pediatrician that "sometimes kids just get fevers for no reason," he was finally referred to Children's Hospital at OU Medical Center in Oklahoma. On February 3, 2009, he was diagnosed with Undifferentiated Embryonal Sarcoma, a very rare malignant cancer affecting mostly a pediatric population.
 
The 11 cm mass in his liver surely would have killed him if left untreated. So Ethan spent the next 4 months receiving toxic chemotherapy that ultimately reduced the mass in size but it remained unresectable.
 
After 6 rounds of Isofosfamide and Doxorubicin, Ethan received a full liver transplant from a living donor on May 30, 2009. This rare procedure called a "Domino Transplant" allowed two children's lives to be saved in one night.
 
Ethan finished two more rounds of chemotherapy at the end of August and now begins a new journey as a cancer survivor and transplant recipient. We are not sure why our family was chosen for this journey but we are trying to find that light at the end so we can make our way to some sort of "normal" again.
 
Ethan will continue to be on anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his life and will be closely monitored through blood work and CT scans for recurrence and rejection.
 
To follow his story, please visit: www.caringbridge.org/visit/ethanhenry3
 
Written by Christina Henry, Ethan's Mom
05/10