Published: June 28, 2008 06:56 pm      

Baby is one in a million

Young Hoopeston child battles liver cancer

HOOPESTON — Willamina Clayton, daughter of Will and Katie Clayton of Hoopeston, is just 9 months old, but the tiny miss has a huge struggle ahead in her young life.

Willamina was diagnosed June 13 with a liver tumor during her nine-month checkup.

Several tests later and a liver biopsy, Dr. Hilary Frescoln of the Charlotte Ann Russell Medical Center in Hoopeston, who found the tumor, gave it a name —hepatoblastoma, a rare liver tumor that occurs in one in 1 million people a year, and most commonly found in children younger than 5 old.

“When she was born, we knew she was one in a million,” said Janet Crouch, Willamina’s grandmother. “But little did we know she would be diagnosed as that one in a million for this disease.”

Treatment for the tumor will be several cycles of chemotherapy to shrink it, followed by a resection of the liver and more chemo to make sure the cancer is gone, according to Katie.

The worst-case scenario, where resection of the tumor is not possible, a liver transplant is the recommendation.

“Several people from the community have already offered to donate a part of their liver,” Crouch said. “We are in awe of how the town has come together in support of us.”

Willamina received her first chemo infusion June 21 and the second this past Monday.

“The real story needs not to be about Willamina’s illness,” Katie said. “But about how wonderful it is that the community has pulled together to support us. I have always known what a special community that Hoopeston is — that is why Will and I made the decision to move back to Hoopeston and raise our family.”

She said critics of Hoopeston see only that the town has decreased in size and lost industry, and its work force, but they fail to see the real value of Hoopeston.

“Those critics fail to see what Hoopeston truly is: A community that bands together to support its neighbors in times of crisis and need,” Katie said. “A community with a backbone made up of faith, service and most of all, love.”

Katie, Will and grandparents Jim and Janet Crouch requested that everyone pray the tumor will shrink with the chemo so surgery can be performed to remove the diseased part.

While everyone is praying for Willamina, Katie added, also pray for all the children on the fifth floor at Riley’s Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.

ON THE WEB

To see Katie’s journal on Willamina, go to http://www.caringbridge.org and type Willamina in the search box.

The journal will keep everyone informed of Willamina’s journey through this illness.