Meet Emmalea

“In a matter of 15 minutes my whole world came crashing down.” - Emmalea’s mom

“In September of 2014, my 11-year-old daughter was diagnosed with ovarian cancer by accident. 

I took her in to meet a new pediatrician and talk to her about acne that some some mean girls had been making fun of her about. I also wanted to discuss a few other concerns I had.

In a matter of 15 minutes my whole world came crashing down. The doctor did the basic height and weight check, and when she laid Emmalea back, she felt the lump in her tummy. She sent me to Loma Limda Medical Center where they were waiting for me. After several hours of non-stop testing they confirmed my worst fears: She had a large tumor.

The following morning, Emmalea was schedule for surgery. They removed a tumor the size of a football... and her left ovary and fallopian tube. We were released about ten days later, after confirming it was, in fact, ovarian cancer.

Treatment was a little different for her because ovarian cancer is not heard of in young kids her age. She had a stage 2 germ cell.

She completed four gruelling rounds of chemo where she would be admitted to the hospital for 5-7 days each time. Her final round was in December of 2014. 

Today, February 2016, she is 6 months cancer free! But we are still doing body scans and blood work every 3 months. The thought of cancer is always in the back of your mind.

Emmalea has been giving back to the community to bring awareness. We are still dumbfounded that our little girl had cancer. It doesn't just affect her; the whole family is affected. Your life is just never the same once you hear that word: ‘Cancer.’”