In September 2019, Rhue’s parents began to notice significant changes in her behavior—she seemed unsettled and abnormally fussy. By October, the fussing and crying worsened. Rhue’s mom, Alison, took her to the doctor who thought she was just experiencing a bad bout of constipation.
Later that week, Alison and Rhue’s grandfather saw what they thought was a lump in her buttock. This, of course, raised a red flag for Alison, and she took Rhue back to the doctor. An ultrasound, a CAT scan, an MRI and a biopsy were ordered. It was revealed Rhue had a germ cell tumor, in her pelvis.
Dr. Thomas McGill, Pediatric Surgeon at UMC and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, performed surgery to remove the tumor November 8, 2019. The tumor was the size of a toy football. On November 14, Rhue began her first of four rounds of chemotherapy with Pediatric Oncologist Dr. Kishor Bhende.
Rhue completed chemo on January 16, 2020, and is in chemical remission. She is back to being a healthy and active 2-year-old!
Help us continue to make miracle stories, like Rhue’s, happen! Give the the Children’s Miracle Network at UMC Children’s hospital today by visiting bit.ly/give2umc