Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

“Your child has cancer,” are probably the last words parents want to hear, explained Stacee Springer, a licensed clinical social worker for pediatric oncology at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Cancer can occur in children of all ages, more frequently in adolescents and young adults ages 15 to 39 years than in younger children, according to the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health.

Carly Allphin was 14 when she was diagnosed in April with Stage 4 Ewing Sarcoma, a type of bone cancer.  Before diagnosis, her severe back pain led to physical therapy, without success.

An MRI followed, showing a softball-size tumor at her lumbar spine, with six smaller tumors nearby. Physicians sent the teenager and her parents to meet pediatric oncologists at Walter Reed Bethesda the next day, and she was immediately admitted. A bone marrow biopsy followed.

“At [WRNMMC], a multi-disciplinary team of doctors, nurses, therapists and administrative staff care for our smallest warrior and their families,” Springer said. “We take care of the entire family, [which] means parents, siblings and extended family.  We partner with employers, and schools and other community support programs.  It takes a village, not just one person,” she added.

Continuity of care at WRNMMC enabled Carly to receive proton radiation at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia before beginning a chemotherapy protocol at Walter Reed Bethesda. Later, she will participate in a clinical trial with the National Institutes of Health.

“She’s really been strong through all of it,” said Carly’s dad. Army Staff Sgt. Andrew Allphin, a trumpeter in the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” said his “out-going, upbeat” daughter has a great perspective.

Once a long-haired blonde, the teenager is comfortable now wearing her head bald. “She’s so cute,” Krista Allphin says, smiling at her daughter. The proud mom said Carly’s courage gives her strength.

“She’s hilarious, strong, and acts like this stuff doesn’t faze her,” Krista said. “I think she’s so strong so I don’t have to be.”

Carly’s father says his daughter spends a lot of time in the hospital, travelling back and forth from home, with short gaps in her aggressive treatment to recover and begin again. A lover of music like her father, Carly plays the piano and French horn. A keyboard is kept in her doctor’s office for her to play when she has extended stays at the hospital.

The eldest of six children, Carly said being away from her large family is one of the hardest changes she’s had to adjust to after her cancer diagnosis. With his daughter spending so much time in the hospital, it’s unusual for the entire family to spend time together under the same roof at the same time, her father explained.

A bone marrow biopsy launched the progression of diagnostic and therapeutic treatments with procedures Carly has endured for nearly six months.  Her life now consists of homeschool, painful bouts of sickness after cycles of maximum-dosage chemotherapy, blood draws, trips to the ER, blood transfusions, using many anti-bacterial wipes, follow-up appointments, and hospital inpatient stays.

She no longer shares a bathroom with her parents or five siblings at home—she now has her own. Carly must avoid sick children, and her parents have to “sterilize everything,” her dad explained.

He said every night the 14-year-old flushes out her own central line catheter inserted into the large vein in her chest leading directly to her heart.

Krista said even though the situation may be scary, the family’s biggest source of their strength is their faith. She said support from their church and extended family helps her juggle all the tasks of each day.

Carly said cancer has changed the way she sees things.

“I look at someone and [I ask myself] ‘what have they been through’ because you never really know,” she said.

The once active teenager who enjoyed participating in athletics, now contends with extended periods of feeling tired. “I’m generally pretty weak, but some days are worse than others. Sometimes I don’t get off the couch, sometimes I can walk around for a while. I get pretty exhausted,” Carly explained.

The brave teen offered advice to other kids with cancer. “It’ll get better. The beginning is a little bit harder, but you generally get used to it,” she said. “It’s still difficult, but it’ll get better.”