Meet Nasir – Desmoplastic Tumor Warrior

After all they have been through, Lakisha said "Nasir has his ups and downs but he is taking this really well."

Lakisha took her fourteen year-old son, Nasir, to the doctor after he experienced stomach pains, no appetite and dramatic weight loss. An ultrasound was immediately performed and multiple large tumors were discovered spanning his body from his chest to pelvis. After further testing, Nasir was diagnosed with desmoplastic small round cell tumor – an aggressive malignant cancer which occurs in adolescents. The tumors needed to shrink before surgery could be performed so Nasir began chemotherapy immediately. Unfortunately, the tumors did not respond to the chemo as much as the doctors’ hoped so his surgery was delayed further. Nasir’s chemotherapy plan became more aggressive and he developed severe cramping as a side effect. The tumors finally responded enough for Nasir to undergo surgery. Instead of living life as a typical teenager, Nasir endured four surgeries and additional chemotherapy to shrink the remaining tumors surgery could not reach.

Lakisha initially depended on family and friends to get Nasir to his appointments but she knew this wasn’t a viable option long-term. This determined mom knew she needed to find a better way and reached out to the NCCS for help covering transportation expenses since Nasir’s appointments were so frequent. In addition, Nasir and Lakisha received emotional support from their NCCS case manager as well as learned valuable information from some NCCS publications. After all they have been through, Lakisha said “Nasir has his ups and downs but he is taking this really well.”