JEFFERSON CO., Pa. (EYT) – What began as a sore neck led to a discovery that turned a six-year-old Jefferson County girl’s world upside down.
Six-year-old Lyndsay Fox, who resides in Big Run, woke up one morning in May complaining that her neck hurt. Her mother, Christine, thought she may have slept on it wrong until it began to get worse, rather than better.
Christine took Lyndsay to see their family doctor who sent them for X-rays on May 28. Little did they know at the time those would be just the first of the X-rays, tests, and scans Lyndsay would have to undergo.
The doctor’s office called Christine back the following morning and had her pull Lyndsay out of school for an emergency MRI at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh because of the anomalies that turned up in Lyndsay’s X-rays. Lyndsay was then admitted to the hospital and an entire gambit of tests were performed – from MRI’s and CT scans to PET scans and blood tests.
Lyndsay remained in the hospital until June 1 and left with her official diagnosis still up in the air.
“They were pretty sure it was LCH, but the diagnosis wasn’t official yet,” Christine told exploreClarion.com.
LCH (Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis) is a rare form of cancer where the body makes too many dendritic cells. Dendritic cells are a form of white blood cells that play a role in the body’s immune system and can be found in the skin, lungs, stomach, bone, eyes, and intestines. With this form of cancer, dendritic cells build up, forming tumors and disrupting the normal function of tissues.
In order to be certain about her condition, Lyndsay had a chest tube placed on June 20, and
a lung biopsy was performed. Her recovery from the biopsy was prolonged when the doctors had trouble with the removal of the chest tube.
“Her lungs kept trying to collapse,” Christine noted.
The situation escalated on June 25, when a simple wrong movement caused Lyndsay’s neck to collapse. Another X-ray showed that her condition was getting worse and required surgery. An orthopedic specialist was called in and two surgeries were planned: one to place a halo on Lyndsay’s head and another to place rods and pins in her neck for support.
However, after an additional MRI, the doctors discovered Lyndsay’s condition was at a point that they couldn’t wait for two separate surgeries. They scheduled a longer surgery for both the halo and the pins and rods for Saturday, June 29, during which they also put in a port for her to begin receiving chemotherapy.
Following the surgery, Lyndsay was hospitalized for twelve days. She finally returned home on July 2, and was given 17 days of peace before beginning her chemotherapy treatments.
“They had to wait that long after the pins and rods were placed to let the bones begin healing,” Christine explained.
Lyndsay’s ability to heal will be significantly slowed down during the chemotherapy treatments.
She began chemotherapy on Friday, July 19, and will be traveling to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh every Friday until August 23, the day before her 7th birthday. On August 29, the halo will be removed, and the next steps will be discussed.
According to Christine, Lyndsay will continue chemotherapy, but the doctors aren’t sure if it will continue to be weekly or if they may be able to begin spacing the treatments out more.
While Lyndsay has been through a lot in the last few months, it hasn’t put a damper on her spirit, according to Christine.
“The first week with the halo was rough, learning what she could and couldn’t do. There are a lot of restrictions, and she had to learn to watch how she moved. But overall, she’s doing well and the doctors are really impressed,” she noted.
“She’s in good spirits.”
To help the Fox family with costs for travel and other expenses, a benefit dinner is being held on Saturday, August 3, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Big Run War Memorial located at 123 E Main Street, Big Run, Pa.
Dinner will consist of meatloaf, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn, green beans, salad, a dinner roll, and cake for dessert. Take outs will be available.
The cost for dinner is $8.00 for adults and $5.00 for children ten and under. There will also be a basket raffle with the drawing to be held at 4:00 p.m.
For additional information or to donate, please contact Josie at 814-427-2310, Pam at 814-427-2516, or text Tish at 814-952-2863.
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