2006 - Nemours

Medical Team Gives TrevorBrighter OutlookA few months before Trevor’s fifth birthday, he begancomplaining that his chest hurt. Normally a jovial child,his complaints became more frequent as time went by.So, when he developed a fever that wouldn’t break,his Mom knew it was time to consult a physician.Trevor was diagnosed with Stage I neuroblastoma in January 2006, rightbefore he turned five. Neuroblastoma is a disease in which malignantcancer cells in nerve tissue of the adrenal gland, neck, chest or spinalcord combine to form a solid tumor. His treatment included removal ofthe tumor followed by monthly scans and clinical visits. Because histumor was Stage I, he was considered low risk with less than a 10 percentchance of recurrence.“After experiencing the wonderful care Trevor received as a patient,I desperately wanted to work here,” said Trevor’s mother, Brooke.She joined the Nemours Office of Human Subject Protection staffin May 2006 as the Institutional Review Board Assistant. “I wantedto somehow do my part in helping other families and children whodepend on Nemours. Now I not only have a meaningful job, butNemours has become a second family to me.”In July 2006, Trevor’s scan for neuroblastoma confirmed his cancerhad returned but not metastasized. Once again, doctors removed thetumor, and Trevor began intensive chemotherapy and radiation. Hewill receive a bone marrow transplant in early 2007 using his ownstem cells, which were already harvested.Trevor benefited from Jacksonville’s status as one of a select groupof nationwide institutions with a bone marrow transplant program,led by Michael Joyce, MD. In 2002, Nemours, Wolfson Children’sHospital and Mayo Clinic Jacksonville merged their programs tocreate the Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Program allowingfor greater collaboration in physician and staff expertise, researchand clinical protocols. Since then, approximately 150 patientshave benefited from treatment. ■24 2006 Nemours Annual Report