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Adult Diagnosed with Childhood Kidney Cancer
5 Sep
Summary
- Young woman's kidney mass initially misdiagnosed as benign tumor.
- Adult was diagnosed with Wilms tumor, typically found in young children.
- Cancer spread to liver, requiring extensive chemotherapy and radiation.
Maria Morales, initially diagnosed with a benign kidney angiomyolipoma, faced a serious health crisis when the mass continued to grow and spread. This 34-year-old behavioral therapist experienced symptoms like back pain and bloating in November 2018, which doctors initially downplayed.
Subsequent scans revealed a large, vascularized kidney mass. Despite assurances of a benign condition, by July 2019, scans showed the mass had grown significantly and lesions appeared on her liver. Biopsies confirmed a diagnosis of Stage 4 Wilms tumor, an aggressive kidney cancer almost exclusively found in children under five.
Morales underwent surgery to remove her kidney and tumor, followed by over a year of intensive chemotherapy and radiation. These treatments, administered in a pediatric cancer clinic, led to severe complications including liver damage and infertility, causing significant life changes.
Her cancer has been in remission since October 2020. Following her recovery, Morales and her husband relocated to the Denver area, embracing her love for nature and finding peace in the Rocky Mountains.
