Nany Evans oral history.indd - Washington Secretary of State

over here. Celia, being a mother, was just torn between the two places. But we were close
by and they could come here and sleep or do whatever was necessary. Eloise was in the
hospital for a year off and on. She would go there to get her chemo and they would keep
her there for a while to make sure her health was not compromised. She’d stay a week
or so. Then her blood count would start coming up and they would send her home. She’d
just get to feeling better and, wham, back she’d go to the hospital. She had 13 rounds of
chemo and was admitted another 13 times or so because of side effects.
Hughes: They’d give her a little respite between doses of chemo?
Evans: Yes. This went on for an entire year. Her brother and sister didn’t live with us the
entire time, but they were here a great deal, particularly at first. And somebody, some
family member, was always in the hospital with her – always, night and day. Primarily it
was Celia because Eloise wanted mommy. Our son Dan would stay there, too. The chairs
would turn into beds, but they’re not the most comfortable thing in the world. And my
husband was also occasionally blessed with being asked by Eloise to spend the night with
her. It was a rare honor.
Hughes: This is at Children’s Hospital?
Evans: Children’s. And weren’t we lucky to be living so close to Children’s Hospital?
Hughes: Yes. Just down the block.
Evans: Yes, we were very fortunate. Also, fortunate with the doctors we had and
the nurses. The doctor, Doug Hawkins, couldn’t have been nicer. He is a specialist in
rhabdomyosarcoma –one of the chief rhabdomyosarcoma doctors in the nation. We were
over there one time and Celia was talking to Doug. She said, “I go online all the time and
read about rhabdo. When I have questions, there’s this ‘Dear Dr. Rhabdo’ feature.” And
Hawkins said, “I’m Dr. Rhabdo!” He’s one of five or six doctors that take turns answering
online questions that patients or parents of patients have, which I thought was wonderful.
Hughes: Is this a disease that primarily afflicts children?
Evans: Yes. Usually up into the teens. It doesn’t usually go beyond that. Ten years before
that time she would have been dead.
Hughes: And how long ago was it that Eloise was diagnosed?
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