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Adjusting to Life After Cancer
Ashley Schafer is an active and outgoing junior at LaVille High School in Lakeville, Ind. She's a cheerleader, a member of Future Farmers of America and even shows dairy cows each year at the Indiana State Fair. Last summer, the 17-year-old was crowned Union Township Fair Queen and among 10 Hoosier teens to participate in the Miss Cheerleader America Pageant. Brenda and Elton Schafer can remember a day when their daughter's future didn't look so bright. In the spring of 1992, then 4-year-old Ashley developed a cold that wouldn't go away. What Brenda thought was going to be a routine trip to their local pediatrician turned out to be a nightmare for the Schafer family. Ashley was immediately transported to Riley where she underwent a series of tests. Results showed that Ashley had cancer, namely primitive neuroectodermal tumor. Primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) is the name of a specific malignant disease involving the soft tissues or the bone, sometimes both. It may occur anywhere in the body but is most often seen in the chest or abdomen. PNETs also may occur in the central nervous system (brain or spinal cord). PNET is a rare form of cancer that usually occurs during adolescence or early adulthood. It is not known what causes this tumor, but it is not hereditary or contagious. A team from Riley sat down with the Schafers and talked through Ashley's diagnosis and treatment. She had a fairly large tumor on the right side of her chest. Even though PNET is serious and potentially life-threatening, physicians reassured the Schafers that treatment options looked good for their daughter. A mass the size of a football was surgically removed from Ashley's chest during a five-hour operation. One of Ashley's lungs had been deflated by the tumor, leaving her with one functioning lung. Ashley spent the next 14 months undergoing chemotherapy and radiation to eradicate any remaining cancer cells. "We spent a lot of time at the Ronald McDonald House in those days," says Brenda Schafer. "The folks at Riley have become like our second family. Over the years, Ashley has needed to see different specialists, and one of the great things about Riley is that they are all right here, under one roof." Today, Ashley's cancer remains in remission. She has continued coming to Riley where she sees an oncologist for cancer checkups, a pulmonologist for her lung and an orthopedic specialist for mild scoliosis. Aside from getting short of breath easily, Ashley lives the life of a normal, healthy teenager. "Most of my friends know that I had cancer when I was little, but we don't talk about it," says Ashley. "I don't remember much since I was so young. I am glad that Riley was there to help me though." [Keywords:cancer] |
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