Friday, November 21, 2008

Brooklyn Hively

Brooklyn Hively was treated by Dr. Andrew Pendleton and Melissa Constantino, RN, in the Pediatric Oncology Program at Cabell Huntington Hospital. The Pediatric Oncology Program has now moved to the Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center. This profile was published in 2002. Today, Brooklyn is an active, healthy six-year-old.

Brooklyn at age 2, with pediatric oncology nurse Melissa Constantino in the first year of her treatment.

"Help me Brooklyn, which color soap do we use first?" asked pediatric oncology nurse Melissa Contantino. Brooklyn Hively, 3, of Spencer, West Virginia, points to the package with the brown label.

Brooklyn knows because she's done this a lot in the last two years - much more than she or her family wanted. However, Brooklyn, who has leukemia, is in the maintenance phase of her treatment and will have her last treatment in January. After that, she is expected to lead a normal, healthy life. And that is what her family expected.

"We never had any doubt that she would be okay," said Brandy Hively, Brooklyn's mother. "Oh, it was hard - that first month is a blur - but from there we took it day by day, then the days became weeks and then months."

At 21 months, Brooklyn was suffering from what her parents thought were typical flu symptoms. After about three weeks and a round of antibiotics, she wasn't improving, so her physician, Hamid Moradi, MD, decided to conduct some lab tests. Before the Hivelys got back home, the doctor's assistant had called them to come back to the office.

"I knew that it couldn't mean good news," she said. "They told us to get some clothes and go directly to Cabell Huntington Hospital. When we got there, they started treatment immediately."

The family had to adjust to a life that revolved around treatments and doctor visits, and it took its toll, but Hively said, "Going through this sure makes you thankful for your family and friends and having them nearby to help you get through it."

Brooklyn and her mom Brandy have spent many hours at the hospital over the last two years. Donations of books, videos and games for the unit help the oncology patients pass the time.

Her mom says Brooklyn has been a real trouper throughout the whole process. "She was so sick at first, she didn't even realize what was going on, and now it seems to be such a normal part of life to her, she probably thinks all children have blood taken every month and have 'hooks' in their chests." The "hook" is what Brooklyn calls the small catheter that she has in her chest, just under her skin. It allows the nurses and doctors to take her blood and give her medication without having to stick her over and over again.

Brooklyn takes chemotherapy and steroid pills at home and has never given her mother trouble about taking them. When she comes to the hospital, she even helps put saline in her "hook" by pushing on the syringe.

Before making the two-hour trip home, Brooklyn and her mom stop to get something to eat and they go shopping. "I get a new toy," Brooklyn said.

"She'll look at pictures of herself when she had no hair and just laugh. She thinks its funny." Hively said. Today, Brooklyn has curly, shoulder-length blonde hair and, according to her mom they brush it a lot. "We have every color hair bow that exists!" Which sounds pretty normal for a little girl of three years old.