Meet our young warriors

Meet Duane – Neuroblastoma Warrior

Claudia (his mom) said Duane kept “smiling and laughing” despite this challenging time.

Duane was only two years-old when he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. He immediately went into lifesaving surgery to remove his right kidney and adrenal gland. For the next two years, Duane received regular check-ups and scans to ensure his cancer didn’t return. But, a few months before his fifth birthday, he had unexplained leg pain that deeply concerned his mother, Claudia. She rushed him to the doctor and soon as the test results came in, Claudia received the devastating news – Duane had relapsed and this time, his cancer was more aggressive than before. His treatment plan included chemotherapy, radiation, a bone marrow transplant and stem cell therapy.

Although Duane only lived thirty minutes from his treatment center, the mileage expenses from traveling there multiple times per week financially overwhelmed Claudia and she was referred to the NCCS. In addition to assisting Claudia with travel expenses, her NCCS case manager provided Claudia some much-needed emotional support to help her cope with Duane’s relapse. Claudia said Duane kept “smiling and laughing” despite this challenging time. Thankfully, one year after his relapse, Duane’s scans showed that once again, he was in remission.