In this episode, host Sam Taylor and parent Nicole talk about all the unknowns that come up when your child is diagnosed with a rare cancer that doesn’t respond to all the traditional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation. When Nicole’s son Hayden was 12 years old, he had a bad fall while snowboarding and complained of serious pain in his side that brought them to the hospital. After tests and ultrasounds, Nicole was told that Hayden’s fall had ruptured a15 centimetre tumor on his kidney, diagnosing him with a rare type of cancer called Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma, typically only found in men over the age of 50. Treatment for Hayden’s cancer was surgery to remove the tumor, and 3 month follow up scans to check for recurrence.

Nicole and Sam talk about Hayden’s rare diagnosis, and how difficult it is to resume a “normal” life when the lingering fear of Hayden’s cancer returning is always present. With no other treatments to try to eradicate his cancer, Nicole talks about how she moves forward with so many unknowns. Sam and Nicole also talk about Hayden’s age, and how he is old enough to understand his cancer and have a lot of questions about it, in particular, asking if he is going to die. This conversation is so important for families who also have rare diagnoses, non traditional treatments and families whose kids are old enough to experience all the unknowns alongside their parents.

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