Young cancer survivor apart of UCAN walk

Cancer survivor Tiana Williams was all smiles Saturday at the eighth annual United Cancer Assistance Network Walk.

A first grade student at Eugene Elementary School, Tiana was 5 1/2 months old when she was diagnosed with Wilms tumor, a type of childhood cancer which starts in the kidneys. It is the most common type of kidney cancer in children.

Tiana Williams, 7, performs “YMCA” on Saturday at the UCAN Walk. Photo provided

The 7-year-old was one of about 1,200 people to attend the annual Sarah Jarboe White UCAN Walk.

“We had a lot of people in our corner and I am so grateful for all the love, encouragement and support we received,” said Tiana’s mother Tatianna Williams. “I want to let others know not to give up on the fight. It’s a long and hard one, but please don’t give up. There is no better feeling reaching that finish line and ringing the bell of victory.”

Tiana was sick a lot, her mother said. She had flu and cold symptoms as well as problems with her stomach and issues with bowels. They were in and out of the doctor’s office and emergency room. On one visit to the emergency room, the doctor ordered a CT scan and found the tumor weighing 2 1/2 pounds on one kidney.

Treatment included removing the kidney, which contained the Wilms tumor, and light chemotherapy. Williams said there were “no other cancer cells” and it was “deemed a full recovery.”

Tiana’s second battle with cancer was worse, her mother said. The cancer was in her lungs and was stages three and four. There were two to three nodules measuring three and five centimeters and was “very aggressive. She had to have radiation on top of chemotherapy.”

Along with the cancer, she suffered with respiratory syncytial virus infection (RSV), bacterial infection and repository distress. She had over 12 blood and plasma transfusions.

“Her body weight almost was nothing,” Williams said. “The treatment helping her was also killing her. She kept a smile on her face. She is one of the most positive people I know. It is every emotional.”

Not only did Williams have an infant with cancer, she had twins David and Lorelei, now 11.

“I worked and was enrolled in college,” she said.

Williams finished the semester planning to return to classes, but hasn’t.

At Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, Tiana had an entire team of oncologists.

Williams kept busy making regularly scheduled trips and emergency trips. Since Tiana had a port used in her treatment anytime her fever reached 101.5 degrees they automatically made a trip to St. Louis.

“There were more and more emergency trips,” Williams said. “It was just harder and harder the longer we were going through it. We would go two or three times a week.”

Once the cancer was gone, they did follow up every three months, but “right now we go once a year,” she said.

At the time of Tiana’s treatments, Williams’ father who was living in Florida was sick.

“He passed away a day after her port came out,” she said. “It was a dark, emotional time.”

Before he died, he told her, there is a “light at end of the tunnel even if you cannot see it, it is still there.”

Williams credits her mother, UCAN and the Green Forest Church of Christ with helping the family survive and heal.

“My mother Tamara Kulish was the biggest help. She put her life on hold. She was living in New Mexico but moved here to help,” Williams said.

UCAN was wonderful. Williams used the gas cards to make the frequent trips. When necessary, UCAN helped pay bills and sponsored the family for Christmas one year.

“We would not have had Christmas if it had not been for UCAN,” Williams said.

“Green Forest Church was so supportive of us, as well. I cannot express how grateful I am.”

The family has been going to the UCAN walks since 2013. Tiana’s first time was riding in a stroller while her family walked.

“We have missed a few. It is our way of celebrating, myself, mom and twins,” she said.

It was a hard time getting to the finish line, Williams said, but Tiana’s positive outlook on life and the look on her face definitely puts everything into perspective

When Tiana was first diagnosed, Melody Chailland was the new UCAN Executive Director.

“I knew children got cancer, however, to be up close and personal was just heartbreaking, watching that baby go through treatment with no understanding on what was happening to her was the hardest part to watch,” Chailland said. “All I could think is ‘God is good.’ Not every story we are a part of has a happy ending, so when they do we are so thankful and blessed to be a small part of it.”

Stories like Tiana’s are helped along because “all the money raised at the walk stays local in helping cancer patients while they are going through treatment. We help in many ways such as transportation, fuel cards, wigs, nutritional supplements, utility assistance, etc., Chailland said.

While all the figures are not in, Chailland said, “I think we have raised about $40 thousand before expenses.”