This is William Klopper's story - November of 2009 William started showing some unusuaal physical features (swollen belly, weight loss, left testicle was larger than the right.) Loiss, William's Mom, started on a journey that would take her and William through several pediatrician and urgent care clinic visits, each time the concerns were dismissed and explained away as constipation, irritable bowl, and even strep. On March 30th, 2010,Loiss decided to take William to a new pediatrician, a pediatrician that had not previously seen William and was therefore unaware of all the strange symptoms. Loiss was hopeful that with the a new pediatrician, William would receive a full examination so that the root cause could be identified and treated. At 9am on 3/30/10 Loiss and William entered the pediatric consult room of Marshall Pediatrics to meet with Dr. Hacker. By 10am the same morning Dr. Hacker had ordered emergency scans and tests from the small local hospital. By 2pm William had been addmitted into the Pediatric Oncology and Hematology department of Sutter Memorial Hospital, the same hospital where William was born. After extensive scans, tests, a biopsy of a tumor, and surgery to place a central line, William was officially diagnosed with Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor.
Shortly after the diagnosis, William's entire family met with one of the three Oncologists working on William's treatment. The meeting reviewed a treatment plans and expectations. William's family was given the option to pursue an extremely aggresive protocol of chemotherapy, or to place William in hospice with a two week survival expectancy...William's family decided to pursue chemotherapy.
William’s first 2 rounds of chemo was the P6 Protocol. Due to bladder damage from the first 2 rounds of chemotherapy, treatment was adjusted and rounds 3,4,5,6,and 7 was changed to VP-16 and Cisplatin. In October of 2010 a GFR test showed that William's kidneys had lost 50% filtration (side effect of chemotherapy) and so yet again the chemotherapy needed to be changed. Carboplatin and VP16 was adminitered through 5 additional rounds of chemotherapy. In February 2011 a combination of Temador and Irinotecan was added to the existing protocol and was administered through 5 outpatient treatment rounds.
In April of 2011 William's treatment was moved to the City of Hope in Southern California. William is currently going through Stem Cell collection and chemotherapy in preperation for a Bone Marrow Transplant. Our daily blog tells the story of William's journey and all the obstacles he has overcome. His courage and determination has been the driving force behind his successfull fight to beat his cancer.
**Updated 2/2/12***Since arriving at the City of Hope Hospital, William has successfully completed 8 additional rounds of chemotherapy and overcome multiple sideeffects/complications. On September 18th, 2011, William started 9 days of Bone Marrow Transplant conditioning chemotherapy. On September 27th, 2011, William received his Autogolous Bone Marrow Transplant. In October of 2011 a PET scan revealed that all the tumors were dead/calcified. In January of 2012, a PET scan performed in preperation for the radiation, revealed that all pre-existing tumrs were still dead but that one new small tumor had formed in the abdomaninal area.
As of February 12th, 2012, William and as his mom are staying in the Pasadena Ronald McDonald House patiently prepping and waiting for radiation to s tart.
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