Meet Amy!
Amy also had to have her entire left lung, diaphragm, and outer heart lining/membrane removed to reduce the possibility of a relapse. She still lives with just one lung today but she is still able to do the things she loves and even runs cross country! Amy was also diagnosed with genetic mutation following her PPB diagnosis and is closely monitored for the other cancers that can develop from the mutation. In March of 2020, she was diagnosed with her second pediatric cancer, but is immensely thankful it was caught early with screening and did not involve intense treatment. Amy will face routine scans for the rest of her life in hopes of catching anything related to her mutation early as well as any damage related to her past treatments and faces the mental burden that comes with pediatric cancer.
Today, Amy is sixteen years old and a homeschooled high school junior on a mission to fight for the children fighting cancer today and fight for better for those that will fight tomorrow. She is passionate about making the world more aware of pediatric cancer. She has lobbied on Capitol Hill over 30 times and is active in both national and state-level pediatric cancer advocacy. Amy is so thankful to know LeAnna and to be able to call her such a good friend. She loves being a part of the Our Amazing Fighters team and can not wait to see OAF grow and continue sharing its mission. Amy calls New Hampshire her home and lives with her two younger brothers, parents, and their cat. She loves growing flowers in the spring, walking on the beach in the summer, cozy fall days, and skiing in the winter.
When Amy was seven years old, her life changed in an instant with a diagnosis of Type III Plural Pulmonary Blastoma or PPB, a rare and aggressive pediatric lung tumor. Her tumor was the size of a large grapefruit and was completely collapsing her left lung as well as putting dangerous pressure on her heart. Amy had been seemingly healthy before this diagnosis and for almost a year, the on and off chest pains were brushed off as growing pains.
It seemed believable because she had no other symptoms of concern and seemed healthy otherwise. Her life changed in an instant and would never go back to the way she once knew it. Amy endured 14 months of intense chemotherapy, a month of daily radiation, 11 surgeries, and countless blood draws, port accesses, IVs, medications, and scans.