Life for the James family of Benton drastically changed on January 5th when 5-year-old Kendall was diagnosed with Rhabdomyoscarcoma [rab-doh-mahy-oh-sahr-koh-muh] Embryonal stage 3 that began with a trip to Baptist Heath in Paducah on January 1st with tummy issues.
A discovery of a mass in the lower part of her abdomen that day in Paducah sent Kendall and parents Shawn and Kendra, straight to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt where after tests and a biopsy, received the news that the mass, approximately the size of a football, was Rhabdomyoscarcoma, a cancer of soft and connective tissue.
Photo: Krystal Denfip
There are no known causes of this aggressive tumor, diagnosed in 350 new cases each year in the U.S. with almost two-thirds of pediatric Rhabdomyoscarcoma cases in children under the age of six. Rhabdo is greek for rod, myo means muscle, and sarcoma is the term for cancer of connective tissue so a Rhabdomyosarcoma is cancer of the skeletal muscle.
Kendall received a port four days after her diagnosis and her battle against this cancer began with extensive treatments to shrink the tumor for surgery which was performed on April 17th. The entire tumor was removed with the exception of one small spot (2.6 cm) wrapped around the main artery in the top of her right leg.
Kendall is now in her sixth week post surgery, of chemo and radiation treatments, to target the area the surgeons could not remove.
Kendall and mom Kendra, make the trip each week to Vanderbilt for the week-long treatments and return home on the weekends. At the completion of her six weeks of treatments this week, Kendall will receive weekly chemo treatments at Vanderbilt for the next eight months.
Despite the beautiful smiles from this brave, fun-loving younger sister of KeAnna, age 11, and Kaydee, age 9, the months since her diagnosis haven’t been easy on the petite 5-year-old, struggling with nausea and lack of appetite, needing a feeding tube off and on to keep her weight up for treatments.
Life for the James family has shifted from horse-back riding, camping and a love of the outdoors to surgery, chemo and radiation. Dad Shawn, a builder, keeps the home front going with their older daughters here in Benton, while Kendra and Kendall make the constant trips to Nashville for treatments, a strain on the family both emotionally and financially, but doing so with a positive, hopeful attitude, taking it one day at a time.
Approximately 40% of newly diagnosed RMS arise in head and neck structures, approximately 25% of cases arise in one of the structures of the genitourinary system and 20% of cases arise in an extremity. Kendall’s tumor falls under the genitourinary system which is given a “favorable” prognosis.
You can follow Kendall’s progress and send well-wishes through the Facebook page “Prayers for Kendall James”.
A Go Fund Me account has been set up to help the family with their mounting expenses.
CLICK HERE to go directly to the Go Fund Me page.
An account has been set up at CFSB for donations as well under Kendall James.
