Matt’s daughter created incredible drawings during her time as a patient at MSK Kids.
Matt was gearing up for the holidays with his family when his daughter suddenly felt unwell.
“On the morning of Sunday, December 20, 2020, my then 7-year-old daughter complained of a tummy ache, and my wife noticed a golf-ball-size protrusion under the skin just below her navel. We took her to our pediatrician, who sent us immediately to a local emergency room,” said Matt. “What followed over the next few days was our worst nightmare: increasingly dire testing — from ultrasound, to CT scan and MRI, eventually to a biopsy via arthroscopic exploration surgery on our daughter’s abdomen. On December 24, 2020 — Christmas Eve — my wife and I received the diagnosis that our daughter had a rare childhood cancer.”
Asking for Help
The rare cancer Matt’s daughter had been diagnosed with affects about 400 children per year. So, Matt knew they needed to find the best treatment center — and they needed help.
“My wife and I were shocked and terrified,” said Matt. “The first order of business was to get to the best treatment center possible, which we believed to be Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). I was concerned that we might run into a delay for us to transfer from the local hospital to MSK. Feeling hopeless and powerless, I messaged my employer’s head of human resources the Sunday after Christmas. The head of human resources told me that we had a partnership at MSK through MSK Direct that would provide an expert pediatric oncologist for my daughter.”
An Easy Solution for Accessible Cancer Care
MSK Direct is a nationally available cancer benefits solution for large employers and unions, providing a direct path to cancer care at MSK. Available for participating employees, their dependents, and their loved ones, MSK Direct delivers the highest-quality cancer programs and services — online or in person — to help navigate every unique journey of screening and prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and life beyond cancer.
“I proceeded to contact MSK through my employer’s MSK Direct program,” said Matt. “We were immediately connected to MSK Direct, who after only a few hours introduced us to Dr. Michael Lau, the MSK Kids fellow who is still our main point of contact for our daughter’s care, more than a year later. MSK Direct viewed our case and told us within 24 hours that they could accept our daughter.”
A Hope for the Future
“Following our daughter’s cancer care — which involved surgery and 10 months of chemotherapy, interspersed with radiation therapy — we are told she is cancer free,” said Matt. “We know this may not be the end of our fight; cancer can always recur. The MSK Kids primary oncologist in charge of our daughter’s care at MSK, Dr. Leonard Wexler, told us: ‘You can put this chapter of your lives behind you.’ She is now doing very well, and we are very hopeful for her future.”
How MSK Cares for Families
MSK has the largest pediatric program in the country, MSK Kids — with unparalleled expertise and treatment approaches for children, teenagers, and young adults with cancer, immune deficiencies, and blood disorders often not available anywhere else.
With MSK Direct, you have access to care at MSK for your whole family, including MSK Kids, whose sole focus is caring for children, teenagers, and young adults with cancer and related diseases. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer, has been told by a doctor there is a suspicion of cancer, or would like to discuss treatment options, please contact MSK Direct by calling MSK Direct’s phone line at 646-449-1515.
