A 2-year-old girl who was diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer is now cancer-free.
ABC News reported that McKenna Shea Xydias has had four rounds of chemotherapy since she was diagnosed in February.
McKenna’s parents, Mike Xydias and Meagan Xydias, said they got the good news on June 12, less than four months after being diagnosed with an ovarian yolk sac tumor. Dr. Katie Sutton, the pediatric oncologist for the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, was direct with the update.
"Dr. Sutton came in -- she just got straight to it and said, 'Scans were clear. There's nothing there,'" Meagan Xydias told "Good Morning America." "We sat and cried and held each other for a minute."
Sutton said McKenna has done well and hasn’t had any serious or unexpected side effects outside of needing some blood transfusions.
According to the U.S. Department of Heath & Human Services, childhood ovarian cancer accounts for less than 5% of all ovarian cancer cases. The Xydiases learned of McKenna's diagnosis after a series of early day care pickups that started in January. Day care staff said she had a fever.
On Feb. 7, day care staff told the Xydiases that McKenna’s belly was bloated and she looked uncomfortable, so they took her home.
After a trip to the doctor and a high fever a week later, she went to a pediatrician, who took an X-ray. Her bowels looked full, Mike Xydias said the doctors told them. They took their daughter to the hospital and after a CT and MRI, doctors determined there were multiple cancerous tumors.
McKenna went into surgery and started chemotherapy. Fundraisers were held to help with medical costs and updates were provided on a Facebook page called Fight with Kenni.
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By June, the page had a happy update.
"Thank you so much for all the prayers and for keeping us in your thoughts for the past 4 months. Our journey began 2/14 and today, 6/12, Kenni has officially kicked cancer's (expletive)!" the post said. "We couldn't have gotten through this without your love, support, and prayers. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts! We thank God every day for taking care of our baby and giving us such faithful prayer warriors to help us get through this nightmare.
“Today, we saw the oncologist and were told that all of Kenni’s scans were clear. No evidence of disease in her abdomen (everything that was left over after surgery has been taken care of). X-rays showed no evidence of disease in her chest (so nothing spread).”
McKenna will have her levels checked for six months to determine if cancer has come back after treatment.
Her parents continue to celebrate their daughter’s health.
“There’s the medical aspect of, ‘Tust your gut when it comes to your or your child’s health,’ and there’s the life aspect of, ‘Enjoy every minute,’” Meagan Xydias said.
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