Gulls, Rady Children's Hospital Team Up To Fight Cancer
Nov 30, 2020By Andy Zilch and Joe Spurrier/SanDiegoGulls.com
November holds a special spot in any hockey fan’s calendar, as the sport turns its attention and support to the annual Hockey Fights Cancer initiative.
The San Diego Gulls haven’t let the COVID-19 pandemic pause that tradition.
The team continues to recognize those who fought and succeeded, those who still fight and those who lost their battle against the disease.
Rady Children’s Hospital is a San Diego staple, assisting local youth afflicted with life-changing illnesses, including cancer. Rady Children’s is the largest children’s hospital in California providing the largest source of comprehensive pediatric medical services in San Diego, southern Riverside and Imperial counties.
In February, the Gulls and Rady Children’s Hospital entered into a formal partnership. The Gulls look to raise funds and awareness to support the hospital’s efforts to protect the joys of childhood.
THE SANTOS FAMILY STORY
As with any children’s hospital nationwide, there are endless, inspiring stories of children and their families courageously battling chronic or life-threatening diseases.
Enter the Santos family, and seven-year-old Carter, who faces an unimaginable battle with leukemia at Rady Children’s Hospital. His story - and his road to a cancer-free life - was anything but easy.
For Carter, it began on Dec. 11, 2018 – a day that changed his life.
The then five-year old experienced flu-like symptoms and ear pain. Carter’s mother and father, Nicole and Jason, took him to their pediatrician, hoping for a quick and simple remedy. After performing a quick heel prick, the doctors informed the family the results showed Carter had low platelets, a cause for concern.
Further tests confirmed a frightening diagnosis: B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, the most common in child cancer, affecting certain cells in the immune system.
“Our lives forever changed,” explained Nicole. “[Our pediatrician] suggested we go to Rady Children’s Hospital. We immediately went to the ER and, after a couple hours of testing, the doctor came and told us, ‘Today is a day your family will never forget. I am sorry to tell you your son has Leukemia.’
“It was devastating. Cancer in our baby boy felt unimaginable. It was obviously a very dark and scary day for all of us, news that you can’t even imagine. As a parent, I would’ve given anything to trade places with him in that moment. The next few weeks were kind of a blur.”
The diagnosis marked the beginning of the battle, not only for Carter, but for the entire Santos family. The treatment typically last three-plus years, with a particularly intense first nine months.
“The first couple of days after diagnosis were very logistical,” said Jason, who at the time searched for answers. “What does it mean? What type of Leukemia does he have? What are the success rates for treatment with Carter being a child? We were trying to get ourselves set up with our two other kids and making sure there was someone covering for us at home with the holiday season right around the corner. We were trying to get out of the hospital as quickly as we could and get back to the house.”
Flu season also just began, affecting the hospital mere days after Carter’s diagnosis, limiting his amount of visitors.
“Our two older kids were not allowed to come and see Carter, which was very hard for the family,” said Jason. “The goal at that point was to try to get him healthy enough to get home for Christmas, make his number and so on. Unfortunately, that didn’t end up happening, so we ended up spending Christmas at the hospital. Family came to visit him downstairs where he was allowed to visit with family due to the restrictions. That was the way our 2018 ended – not exactly the way we planned.”
Rady Children’s Hospital restricts access during flu season to protect their patients. The Santos family worked around those, and Carter received plenty of visits from his parents and two older sisters, Josie (15) and Payton (12). The family stayed positive and rallied behind the phrase together is better.
“That just created this huge void for his sisters who were very concerned and sad for him, and Carter who loves and adores his sisters and wanted to be able to see them,” said Nicole. “There was a lot of visits through windows and we used Facetime to make the most of it. When we were all together, our spirits were better, healing is better and the void is a really hard one to fill.”
It wasn’t just Carter’s family who helped him through his journey to recovery. Rady’s incredible staff works tirelessly to not only provide its patients with the best possible road to recovery, but to also bring happiness into their lives.
When asked what the nurses at the hospital, Carter describes them as “amazing” and his mother couldn’t agree more.
“They were amazing – the doctors were amazing, the nurses were amazing, the staff was amazing, I mean everyone there,” explained Nicole. “It’s so incredible. We’re so blessed to live so close and to have Rady’s be a place that we were able to receive treatment there. They would joke with each other and they tried to make the most of it. It’s a dark time for the kids that are there, especially in the Peckham Center [For Cancer and Blood Disorders]. It’s heavy stuff, but they try to make light of things and create fun.”
Carter made special bonds with staff, including one of his nurses, Lindsay. The duo formed a friendship discussing their favorite college basketball teams.
“My favorite nurse in clinic, her favorite [college basketball] team was Virginia [Cavaliers] and my favorite team is Oregon [Ducks],” said Carter in a recent interview with the Gulls. “They were playing against each other to go to the [Elite Eight]. We got doughnut holes with green and yellow sprinkles on them and we put it in the nurses office.”
Lindsay made a big Virginia sign and put it Carter’s room as the two showed off their team pride for the game. She joined his family and a couple of his other favorite practitioners when he got the news – after 181 days, Carter was finally cancer-free.
It was a day the Santos family will never forget.
“June 10th was the day that Dr. Kuo came in and ripped the curtains open and said, ‘today is a good day to be cancer-free,’ said Nicole with a smile. “June 10, 2019 is our cancer-free date and we celebrate it like a birthday.”
With the help Rady’s provided and the support of his entire family, Carter fought and beat the disease – something that, unfortunately, not everyone can do. Carter’s battle was a difficult one and he continues to take chemotherapy, hoping he never has to go through it again.
According to Nicole, Carter has spent over 96 days admitted in the hospital, receiving 17 blood transfusions and six platelet transfusions. Additionally, she said he received over 500 doses of chemotherapy and went under anesthesia 23 times. He also underwent abdominal surgery to remove 20 percent of his small intestine, as chemotherapy causing a thinning of his intestinal walls, later leading to sepsis.
“From now until April 5, 2022, he continues daily oral chemo, he continues five days of steroids per month, and every 28 days, they access his port in his chest and they give him chemo via his port,” added Nicole. “He has six more times going under anesthesia and April 5, 2022, he’ll no longer have to do any of that. We look forward to the day where this isn’t something we’re doing daily.”
RADY CHILDREN'S AND THE GULLS - A DYNAMIC DUO
When Rady Children’s Hospital puts out the call for help, the Gulls are always willing to provide a helping hand. The outreach spans to the yearly outdoor ice rink, player visits, donations, and a theme night such as last season’s Family Night in February, paying tribute to the hospital with a text to donate campaign.
“The players come out to the hospital when we ask them to which is pretty amazing,” said Alex Loker, Senior Director of Philanthropy at Rady Children’s Hospital. “The Gulls will show up and be a great presence at the hospital when we need them to at that program and throughout. They will make special visits which is really sweet.
“I think first and foremost, our kids and employees see the Gulls and seeing that the Gulls are supportive of the hospital, so that’s wonderful,” added Loker. “The staff and players have been wonderful partners, so supportive and we really enjoy working throughout the year to make a lot happen.”
The yearly Fantasy on Ice outdoor ice rink at Liberty Station attracts more than 40,000 skaters each year and funds the After-Cancer Program at Rady Children’s Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. Currently, 80 percent of children treated for cancer will become long-term survivors. As a result, pediatric cancer survivors are an emerging population at high risk for a variety of therapy-related complications. Thanks to the Gulls’ support of the rink, the hospital provided more than 4,000 healing touch sessions, 800 acupuncture treatments, and more than 150 yoga classes in 2019.
The Gulls made it their mission to continue its support, despite the global pandemic pausing many of the hospital’s normal outside programs. Patients, including Carter, notice the team’s backing. The Santos family attended Gulls games in the past, with Carter taking a serious interest in hockey.
While he admits teams like the Oregon Ducks and Los Angeles Chargers are his favorite, the Gulls hold a special place in Carter’s heart.
Last season, Carter showed off his skills against Gulliver, firing shots on the Gulls’ mascot as part of the Rady Children’s Ice Rink promotion. For each goal Carter scored, the Gulls would match the dollar amount donated by a local radio station to the Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.
Carter scored on all five of his shots, earning $500 and a matching donation from the team. He kept the autographed stick – used during the content – that he cherishes as he continues his recovery to full health.
During a recent Zoom call to share their story, the Gulls gifted Carter an early Christmas present for staying courageous and becoming an inspiration for others on the same journey. Included in a package from the Gulls was a team-autographed jersey, beanie, holiday socks, rally towel, cowbell, and a Hockey Fights Cancer hat and puck signed by team captain Sam Carrick.
The relationship between Rady Children’s Hospital and the Gulls remained strong over the years, with the larger partnership continuing to fund the hospital’s mission and provide smiles to children who are in sore need of a such a remedy. With the help from Rady Children’s Hospital and the moments of happiness some minor gifts from the Gulls provide, it’s a formidable partnership that the Santos family and others like them recognize as a necessity to any family in the same situation.
For more information on Rady Children’s Hospital and to help make a difference in the life of a child, please visit www.RCHSD.org.