This story was originally published in the Miami Herald in partnership with the Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media.
It was a joyful Christmas in Kentucky and life finally seemed to be smiling on Leydis Fernandez. At 30, she had passed the board exam to earn her medical assistant’s license and landed a full-time receptionist’s job. The American dream felt close enough to touch.
Then everything changed.
Just as Fernandez stepped into her new role at work, her 22-month-old daughter, Nicole Casellas, began having a hard time walking.
“She looked disoriented, like something happened in her head, she couldn’t hold down any food,” said Fernandez, a single mom. “I tried giving her a little bit of milk so she wouldn’t get dehydrated, and every little bit she took, she would throw it back up.”
It wasn’t a typical cold. Nor was it the flu. The illness, as yet undiagnosed,made her vomit sharply, as if throwing up bullets. And the swelling above her left eyebrow was clearly not normal.
With limited English and few resources, the family left Kentucky for Miami, where Leydis had a family connection, to seek care.
“We didn’t go to the hospital in Kentucky because we didn’t have the resources and [English] was not my language,” said Fernandez, a native Spanish speaker.
Arriving in Miami, she tried to stay calm and focused. She used a syringe to give her daughter drops of water and milk to keep her hydrated, and that seemed to help. But still, Fernandez’s mothering instinct told her something was very wrong.
She took Nicole to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, where doctors ran blood tests, X-rays, MRIs and other scans. Fernandez braced for the worst as doctors gathered around her and her daughter..
“I knew right away it wasn’t going to be good news,” said Fernandez.
On January 17, 2024, Nicole was diagnosed with metastatic neuroblastoma, an aggressive pediatric cancer that begins in nerve cells. When those cells grow abnormally and form a tumor, the cancer spreads to other parts of the body, such as the bones or liver. Nicole’s disease started in her abdomen and spread to arms, legs, chest, and liver.
Over 22 months, Nicole has received 15 cycles of chemotherapy, 20 radiation sessions targeting her abdomen, liver, and lumbar area), 18 immunotherapies, 23 blood transfusions, one plasma transfusion, and a bone marrow transplant.
“She’s a beautiful and innocent child,” said Sandra Muvdi, president and CEO of the Jessica June Children’s Cancer Foundation, who nominated Nicole for the Miami Herald’s Wish Book program. “Mother and child have suffered enormously throughout their cancer journey and would so much appreciate knowing our community cares during the holidays.”
Fernandez is asking Wish Book to help pay the rent on her family’s Westchester home and also provide a Christmas dinner. She had to stop working when her daughter became ill, and money has been extremely tight since then. She already received donations for a water heater from the Jessica June Foundation
Nicole is still receiving treatment and she’s making good progress, but the long-term outlook is uncertain. Relapses are possible, as well as the development of other types of cancer due to her prolonged exposure to chemotherapy and radiation.
“Above everything else,” Fernandez said, “I just want her to be healthy and happy, for God to heal her fully and free her from this cancer.”
Nicole is still receiving treatment and she’s making good progress, but the long-term outlook is uncertain. Relapses are possible, as well as the development of other types of cancer due to her prolonged exposure to chemotherapy and radiation.
This story first appeared in the Miami Herald.
