Download PDF - Columbia Valley Pioneer

July 13, 2007
By Cayla Gabruck
Pioneer Staff
Daphne and Al Neal of Fairmont Hot Springs are
facing the most diffi cult challenge of their lives.
Th eir one-year-old baby girl is suff ering from malignant
cancer and her right leg must be amputated to
give her a chance at life.
Th e Saturday of the May long weekend started out
as a routine day for the Neal family.
Th ey were giving 11-month-old Keira a bath when
they noticed a swollen area above her knee.
“We thought we had a speed-skater on our hands
because her quad was so big,” Daphne said. “We
looked at the other leg, and we knew right away something
wasn’t right.”
Daphne and Al immediately took Keira to the
emergency room at Invermere District Hospital, where
they were advised to wait a couple of days to see if the
swelling would go down.
When it didn’t, their family doctor Maria Dibb
ordered an ultrasound.
Th e word came back that Keira needed still more
tests.
“Obviously we were pretty shocked to know it was
more serious than we thought,” Daphne said.
“At this time there was never a confi rmation that
it was cancer.”
Th e couple, along with Keira and their three-year
old son Ryan, arrived at the Alberta Children’s Hospital
in Calgary on May 30th.
After the additional tests were done, all the family
could do was wait.
VALLEY NEWS
“Th ere wasn’t a day when it was like ‘hello, you
have cancer,’” Daphne said. “But there were lots of
little indications.”
On June 6th, Keira’s fi rst birthday, she had an open
biopsy to confi rm her doctor’s suspicions of cancer.
“It was a major surgery,” Daphne said.
“We don’t think of it as taking a limb. We
believe we are giving her a chance at life.”
- Daphne Neal, Keira’s mother
Doctors made a fi ve-centimetre incision and took
out fi ve cubes of fl esh.
Within 30 minutes, Al and Daphne’s worst fear
was confi rmed. Keira had cancer.
“Th e initial pathology was that it was very treatable
and very sensitive to chemo,” Daphne said. “At
that point we were thinking we had the best of a bad
situation.”
Th eir hopes were quickly dashed two days later
when they received the fi nal diagnosis.
Keira has Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of
cancer that is extremely rare in babies and very resistant
to chemotherapy. It has a survival rate of 30 percent
and a high chance of recurrence to the local area
- in this case, her leg.
“It was a bit of a blow to us that day,” Daphne
said.
But they did receive some good news.
Fortunately, there was no cancer found in any
other part of her body.
The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 3
Fairmont baby fi ghting for her life
After the diagnosis, Daphne and Al went straight
to work.
“We were like ‘OK, well, she has this, but what are
we going to do now?’” Daphne said.
Th ey spent countless hours going through scientifi
c journals trying to gather information about the
disease.
Th en they made their decision.
Th ey were going to have to amputate Keira’s leg.
“We don’t think of it as we are taking a limb, we
believe we are giving her a chance to live,” Daphne
said.
Keira immediately began her fi rst round of chemotherapy
treatment, which will last for 12 weeks.
Th en Keira’s surgery is scheduled for September
5th.
After Keira’s surgery, the family will remain in Calgary
to undergo 30 weeks of additional chemotherapy.
Fortunately, a friend has found them a house for the
duration.
Daphne will not return to work as a teacher in
the fall. Al, who is self-employed as an environmental
consultant, will try to keep working during Keira’s
treatment.
Daphne said they are trying to remain positive.
“Th ere are times when you break down and you
lose it,” Daphne said. “But my husband and I have a
very strong relationship and we are going to be strong
for Keira.”
She also said that Keira’s big brother Ryan is helping
make the experience better for his sister.
Continued on Page 4
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