Voices of the Clinic – Ari’s Story
Author: Patricia Jabonero, Ari’s Mother
I didn’t know it at the time, but a lifesaving decision by Dr. David Sandweiss at the Maliheh Free Clinic would make a huge difference in my daughter, Ari’s, life. Ari, age two, went with me to her sister’s appointment with Dr. Sandweiss, a volunteer pediatrician at the Clinic. After examining Ari’s sister, he asked me if I would like him to exam Ari. In performing the examination, Dr. Sandweiss discovered she had an abdominal mass. The mass was confirmed via ultrasound, at the Clinic, thanks to volunteer Ultrasound Tech, Liz Boulay.
Arrangements were then made for an immediate evaluation of Ari at Primary Children’s Hospital. The doctors there found a Wilms Tumor on her left kidney. A week later she underwent a five hour surgery to remove the tumor, 12 lymph nodes and the kidney itself. Ari is brave. She experienced many pokes, ultrasounds, x-rays, oncology visits, sores in her mouth, fevers, weight loss, and 18 weeks of chemotherapy. On December 30th of 2015 she was sent home cancer free!
Our family was so grateful that we held a fund raiser for the Clinic on Ari’s Birthday. We raised $425.00 and collected children’s toys, coloring books, crayons and art supplies, small dolls, and stuffed animals to give to the other children who are seen by the pediatricians at the clinic. We plan to make this an annual celebration for Ari’s birthdays for many years to come.