Teens extend help to family of girl with liver cancer

When Myra and David Mezquita of the South Bay had triplets, they knew they were blessed even though they had their hands more than full caring for the new arrivals as well as their teenagers. Then one of the triplets, Vicky, was diagnosed with liver cancer and needed a transplant, which was performed at UCLA in April 2013 by Dr. Ronald Busuttil, distinguished professor and executive chairman of the UCLA Department of Surgery. Things seemed to be going well at first. But sadly, less than a year later, Vicky was diagnosed with recurrent cancer in her new liver. To eradicate some liver tumors that remained unaffected by the chemotherapy, the 4-year-old underwent chemotherapy and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), a newer radiation treatment that noninvasively focuses high doses of radiation to kill tumors in a few treatment sessions. The Mezquitas were juggling treatment appointments and caring for their other children when they lost crucial supplemental funding they had used to pay for nursing care for Vicky. Piling onto the family’s troubles, a utility-sparked fire that occurred about the time of Vicky’s transplant destroyed their backyard, including all the fencing and landscaping, leaving the children no safe place to play. Because of Vicky’s need for intense care following the transplant, no repairs were ever made, said her mother Myra Mezquita. UCLA Members of "Teamwork Makes the Dream Work" join medical staff and family members at Vicky Mezquita's bedside ...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news