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But Katie Fitch isn't a typical three-year-old. She has hepatoblastoma. Hepatoblastoma, primarily a childhood cancer, is a very rare cancerous tumor originating in the liver, but can also spread or metastasize to other areas of the body. The liver is one of the largest organs in the body, and its primary functions include filtering and storing blood. Hepatoblastoma affects about 1 in 1,000,000 children. About 70% are treated successfully with surgery and chemotherapy, and the survival rate is greater than 90% for early-stages. Katie lives in Florence, South Carolina, with her mother, Stacie Williams, her father, Clayton Fitch, and two sisters, Allie and Kristin. She receives treatment at the Medical University of South Carolina Children's Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina. The hospital has earned top ranking from U.S. News & World Report, American Health Magazine and The Best Doctors in America. Child magazine continues to rank them as one of the top pediatric facilities in the country.
Monday, June 23, 2008, Katie's mother took her to the doctor thinking she may have a hiatal hernia because her stomach was hard and it was difficult for her to eat; Katie is a rough and tumble girl -- wide open all day every day, playing with her cats, dogs, four wheeler, friends and sisters. The doctors quickly sent Katie and her family to Charleston for tests and treatment. Friday, June 27, 2008, a biopsy was performed. During a trip for platelets and fluids at the hospital clinic Wednesday, July 16, 2008, Katie developed a nose bleed. An ambulance rushed her to Clarendon Health Systems in Manning, South Carolina. Bruising and bleeding more easily than normal is a side effect of chemotherapy. The most common reason is a low platelet count or thrombocytopenia; platelets are necessary for blood clotting. Platelet transfusions or prescribed blood cell growth factors stimulate bone marrow to produce more platelets. A normal adult has about 1.5 trillion platelets, Katie’s levels dropped to 15. Katie -- Bonnie Kathleen Fitch -- was a surprise to her family. Shortly before learning of Katie's pending arrival, her mother miscarried and was told her chances of pregnancy were slim to none. Born February 15, 2005, Katie was a healthy baby girl. At 15 months old, she contracted a staph infection that developed into methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). A strain of staph resistant to the broad-spectrum antibiotics commonly used to treat it, MRSA can be fatal. Katie -- a born fighter -- survived, but scrapes and cuts have been a big deal because MRSA remained in her bloodstream. Doctors said she would always have it because it colonized in her blood. So open wounds brought fear -- fear of infection, fear of another MRSA breakout. While in the hospital, she was tested again for MRSA. Three tests – swabs and cultures of her underarms, nose and mouth – showed she no longer has MRSA. |
Web site copyright 2008, Toni Turbeville. |
A quick look around Katie Fitch's bedroom reveals a typical three-year-old girl. Lots of pink. 
Katie's cancer is extremely aggressive, so the doctors have been treating it aggressively with round after round of chemotherapy. They hope the tumor shrinks to an operable size; to date it has reduced in size by 12 centimeters. Katie must visit the hospital clinic twice each week, and Friday, July 25, 2008, brings an additional 15-day hospital stay for chemotherapy.