Meet Keaton’s Kiddo Angelina, also known as Angie. She is 15 years old and loves dogs! Angie was diagnosed on March 23, 2022 with Hodgkins Lymphoma. Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system, which is part of the body’s germ-fighting immune system. In Hodgkin’s lymphoma, white blood cells called lymphocytes grow out of control, causing swollen lymph nodes and growths throughout the body.
Angie’s journey started on March 10, 2022, when she and her family noticed a lump on her neck. Angie’s mother, Luisa, made a doctor’s appointment for the following day, but after realizing the lump had grown overnight, decided to take Angie to urgent care the next morning. Shortly after, on March 16, 2022, Angie was referred to an oncologist where she was told that her lump was most likely cancerous. Exactly one week later, Angie and her family received the devastating news that it was in fact stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Being a teen diagnosed with cancer, Angie’s world turned upside down, but the hardest part upon receiving this diagnosis was that she had to stop going to school in-person. Angie is a straight A student who loves school. Angie loves dogs and also enjoys crocheting, reading, and painting in her free time. With the support of her loving family, Angie has been able to fight hard in her battle and has made so much progress.
Since being referred to Keaton’s, Angie’s Family Navigator and other team members from Keaton’s Child Cancer Alliance had the pleasure of delivering a family Hope Chest. The team met with Angie and her younger sister Josie who was ecstatic to see her name on a bag of joy-filled items like coloring kits, books, and toys! Unfortunately, Angie’s brothers Sergio and Joey Jr. were at school so the Keaton’s team was unable to meet them, but still delivered Hope Chests for them to open when they got home. This was such a joy-filled experience for both Angie and her family, as well as the Keaton’s Family Navigator team. We look forward to offering continued support for Angie and her family as this beautiful young warrior fights her battle against childhood cancer.
“Angie has been such a strong girl through it all. Honestly, I think that is why we have been so strong. We are fighting together and being there for her through it all. We’ve had some rough days, but overall she has done great throughout her many treatments. We have one more round of Chemo and 14 cycles of radiation! We can’t wait to put this all behind us and look forward to seeing Angie go back to school in August.” – Angie’s mother, Luisa
