Sparta family copes with childhood cancer

Community support helps; So does a sense of humor, By STACEY MASON SPARTA - Her parents called her ‘Lumpy.’ Nisha Drummond, at the age 11, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in May 2004. With a renewed sense of life’s priorities, Nisha underwent her final chemotherapy treatment last week and celebrates by participating in the upcoming second annual Light the Night Walk with her family. Nisha is the Honored Hero this year for the Walk at Horseshoe Lake in Succasunna. Her responsibilities include writing a letter for solicitation, giving a brief speech at the beginning of the walk; and her team, “Nisha’s Knights,” will lead the walk on Sunday, Oct. 15. Nisha, the daughter of Rich and Rashmi Drummond, is a freshman at Sparta High. Her sister Maya is in sixth grade at the Middle School and her brother Rohan is in third grade at Alpine. Discovery period: In January 2004, Nisha had what her mother, Rashmi, thought was a swollen gland on one side of her neck. Within only two weeks, she suffered from a fever and other symptoms Rashmi describes as being flu-like, in addition the swollen gland. At this point, they visited an ear-nose and throat specialist to have the symptoms checked out. The doctor suggested having a blood test, which came back normal, but Nisha’s symptoms still remained so he prescribed antibiotics. The symptoms diminished only while Nisha was on three different antibiotics. After the third course, the doctor recommended a biopsy of the gland. “By the end of February, her whole side of her neck was swollen; she could barely move her neck,” described Rashmi. “Still, no one was overly concerned because her blood work came back deceivingly normal. The doctor reassured us it didn’t look cancerous and it was probably some kind of infection.” When Nisha and her parents went back for their appointment to receive the results, they weren’t expecting anything abnormal, but received the most shocking news imaginable, that their daughter’s lymph nodes had lymphoma cancer cells. With no direction of where to go, what to do next, the family retreated to the parking lot, with a feeling of desperation. “I have never felt so lost, like a little speck on this earth with no direction. It was the most humbling experience I have ever had,” said Rashmi. After returning Nisha back to class, her parents went home, minds reeling with anguish and searching desparately for their next step. They spent the rest of the day gathering information, contacts, making phone calls to insurance companies, friends, neighbors, just trying to get a grasp on the most painful realization any parent could possibly endure. Eventually, they reached out to their neighbor, a nurse in an oncology unit at Hackensack Medical University. She made a phone call to a pediatric oncologist who later called the Drummonds. “I got off the phone with this doctor and immediate felt, we have got to take Nisha to this doctor. He was so caring, so knowledgeable. The first thing he asked me was, ‘Does Nisha understand what is happening to her right now?’ I had a feeling this is where we had to go. We brought her there first thing the next day,” said Rashmi. “By the next day, we had a full plan in place. Looking back, I can’t believe how quickly it all came together. It was an out-of-body experience; my adrenaline was going as I heard the urgency in the doctor’s voice,” described Rashmi. “My next concern was how to explain all of this to Nisha when she came home from school. We had to explain what lymphoma was and weren’t sure of what’s going to happen next, but it was obviously serious. We explained we were going to the doctor the next day, she wasn’t going to school. She fully trusted us as we tried to be reassuring while not frightening her. We had to pull it together as we didn’t want her to be as scared as we were,” said Rashmi. After a bone marrow test, they were presented with the fact that Nisha had leukemia, and having cancer in the bone marrow meant it was throughout her whole body. The doctor explained how they caught it in the early phases and it was only affecting 50 percent of her body. He also explained that leukemia is the most common form of childhood cancer. “It was a relief to us that they were going to take care of her and they knew what to do. It made it easier that they took the lead,” said Rashmi. “In the past two and half years that she has endured the treatments, she only cried once; when she was told she had leukemia. She shows her emotion through humor and uses this a lot.” When Nisha was admitted to the hospital, immediately following her diagnosis, she was excited to find she was going to have her own room, with a DVD player and TV and a bed that goes up and down. She laughs about all the big words she’s familiar with now, said her mom. And for this year, she added, they are walking again in celebration of the end of Nisha’s treatment and in celebration of all the wonderful people who have surrounded the family the past 2 and a half years. Nisha was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in May of 2004, just 2 months before her 12th birthday. She is being treated at the Hackensack University Medical Center. This September she received her last scheduled chemotherapy treatment. Fundraisers: • Last year, the Drummond family of five participated in The Light the Night Walk. They raised over $12,000 with help of friends, classmates and coworkers. • The Drummond fundraising goal this year is $15,000. Last spring, the Builder’s Club at the Middle School donated a portion of the proceeds from Hoops for Hope to Nisha’s Knights. The family also had a booth at Sparta Day featuring games for children, which generated a lot of donations. • The Drummonds are walking again this year in celebration of the end of Nisha’s treatment and in celebration of all the wonderful people who have supported the family during the past 2 years. • Nisha is the Honored Hero this year at the Walk at Horseshoe Lake in Succasunna. Her responsibilities include writing a letter for solicitation and giving a brief speech at the beginning of the walk. Her team, “Nisha’s Knights” will lead the walk, which takes place Sunday, Oct. 15. Check-in is between 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. and the walk begins at 7 p.m. and ends around 8:15. • To find out more information, to join the Drummond team, or to make a donation, visit Nisha’s Knights webpage at: http://www.active.com/donate/ltnWestfi/1844_ndrummondLTN • The Light the Night Walk is a symbolic evening walk of approximately 1 ½ miles. Each walker carries an illuminated balloon - red for supporters and white for survivors - which provides a truly memorable sight. The Walk culminates in a community celebration with music, refreshments, and entertainment. Treatment: • Standard treatment for leukemia in children takes approximately 2 ½ years. The chemotherapy treatment includes daily medication, periodic intrathecal (into spinal fluid) chemotherapy, and periodic injections. • The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. Funds from the Light the Night Walks across the country will be used for critical cancer research and services for patients and their families. • The need for a cure is critical: Every 5 minutes, someone in this country is diagnosed with blood cancer. Every 10 minutes, someone dies. Leukemia is the leading cause of cancer death among children and young adults under the age of 20.