Every week for the last five months, four-year-old Audrey Saulters has been going through intensive chemotherapy treatments for an aggressive form of childhood cancer.
The treatments can be brutal and they take a toll on her young body, but they're needed to battle embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of connective tissue cancer.
Audrey's mom Pam credits her daughter's "strong will" with helping her get through the seemingly endless treatments.
"Despite her circumstance, Audrey is full of life, laughter and determination," she said.
In addition to the weekly chemo treatments, Audrey went through 28 rounds of specialized daily radiation therapy between October and December in Seattle. A proton beam technique was required because the cancer on Audrey's neck is located so close to her brain.
"This radiation controls not only the area of the beam, but also the depth," Pam explained. "This means less damage of healthy cells."
The radiation treatment in particular was tough, causing a sunburn-like effect on her skin and painful sores in her mouth and throat, which required a week of hospitalization back in Canada to treat. The radiation therapy also caused damage to the healthy tissue in Audrey's face and she will need plastic surgery when she's older to correct the condition.
Yet Audrey perseveres through it all, taking each new stage of treatment as it comes as she slowly works her way through the 42-week chemotherapy regimen, which is expected to wrap up later this spring. The treatments work in three-week cycles - every third dose includes a big blast of the medication, with smaller amounts included in the other two weeks.
"She faces each task - poke, exam or test - bravely and with wisdom beyond her four years," Pam said.
Her medical journey began last summer when, at three years old, she developed a bump the size of a nickel on her neck. By July it has been identified as a potential problem and at the end of that month she had a biopsy. Two days later, the family was flown to Vancouver and they received the diagnosis on Aug. 1.
By that time, her tumor had grown to the size of tennis ball. Chemotherapy to treat the cancer began on Aug. 3.
Pam and Audrey have been based out of Vancouver's Ronald McDonald House for the duration of her treatment and have received regular visits from Audrey's father Ryan and seven-year-old brother Easton.
Those trips, including one to celebrate her fourth birthday in October and another at Christmas, have allowed the family to celebrate important events at Ronald McDonald House, but they are just some of the expenses the family has faced as they help Audrey beat the cancer.
Friends of the Saulters are organizing a fundraiser next weekend to help the family cover some of those costs, which also include special medications Audrey requires, like regular injections of G-CSF to help spur the creation of white blood cells. The injections cost up to $60 a shot and are only partially covered by their drug plan. There is also the expense of vitamins, anti-nausea medication and other drugs Audrey needs during her treatment.
Add in their housing costs in Vancouver and travel expenses when Audrey went to Seattle for the specialized radiation treatment and the bills add up fast.
The Valentine's Day dance-themed fundraiser will be held on Feb. 8 beginning at 6 p.m. at the Kinsmen Community Complex. It's intended to be a family friendly event with pizza on the menu and entertainment, including a craft table for kids and a place where people can acknowledge their support for Audrey.
"You don't have to get a baby-sitter and everyone can come down and enjoy it," fundraiser organizer Miranda Kynoch said. "Kids can identify with another kid being sick, I think that's what makes this event different than most fundraisers for cancer."
Tickets cost $25 for an entire family and include a 12-inch pizza donated by Dominos. The DJ services have been donated by David Mothus and there will be a wide selection of silent auction items available. There will also be a raffle for a $500 Air Canada gift card.
Tickets are available at all BK Two-way Radio locations as well as the Heather Park school office or by calling 250-960-8229.
Kynoch said the response from the community has been great and, with all the donations, organizers will be able to give every dollar raised to the family. While it's a family-themed event, couples and singles are also welcome to come, eat some pizza and support the Saulters.
Pam said there are other ways to help her daughter and others battling childhood cancers aside from donating money. Donating blood regularly is important because cancer patients often need blood transfusions.
Pam is also encouraging people to advocate to have more cancer research funds directed towards childhood cancer, which could lead to better treatments or even a cure.
"Breakthroughs in childhood cancer research have historically helped with breakthroughs in adult cancers as well," she said.
Even if doctors are able to tell Audrey and her parents that the cancer is in remission after the chemotherapy wraps up, she still faces a long recovery.
"The end of chemo will be far from the end of treatment for Audrey," Pam said. "For the first while, she will have checkups every three months in Vancouver which will eventually decrease to yearly checkups."
The connective tissue cancer that Audrey is battling has a high recurrence rate, so it's possible she will need further treatment down the road. The radiation also caused damage to the bones in her face and her cheek, which could require reconstructive surgery in the years to come.
"Her adult teeth may not develop properly and she may require artificial teeth," Pam said. "She may experience some hearing loss, may have issues with her thyroid. She may also have nerve damage to her vocal chords and other areas that were radiated."
All of those side effects will be sorted out in time, but for now Audrey and her family are focused on beating the cancer that's there now and helping Audrey to get better and maintain her good spirits.
"All in all, kids only know how to be kids," Pam said. "They don't know about how scary something like cancer is. They just know that they need to do unpleasant things to make their cancer go away."
