Katniss Daneca Manili, 7, is an optimistic and determined child who continues to fight the uphill battle of Ewing sarcoma. Coming from Ozamiz City (Mindanao), Katniss and her family flew to Cebu City last August 2022 for diagnosis since a tumor was found on her X-ray scan of her right femur, which was verified as Ewing sarcoma.
After her 8 cycles of high dose admit-chemo, the tumor has significantly decreased in size. But she needed to undergo a limb salvage surgery to further stop the diffused mixed bone marrow signals replacement along her femur. They conducted a wide resection of the tumor with cryosurgery (using liquid nitrogen) and reconstruction of the her right femur on March 2023. Fortunately, her team of orthopaedic surgeons were able to achieve a negative margin during the surgery. Her bone was reconstructed using titanium implants. Thankfully, her 3-month post operation scan showed no lesions/mass or tumor which is very promising. However, she couldn't walk yet as there's no sign of growth yet on the ends of her femur which was cut during surgery. The chemo also significantly slowed down the growth and union of the bone. Currently, she has finished 13 out of 17 admit-chemo cycles and has undergone limb salvage surgery (LSS) already. She's going to have a radiotherapy treatment after completing her 17 cycles.
Despite having gone through this tough battle at a young age, Katniss remains to be courageous and cooperative in her treatment. She's always asking her mother how far along is she in her treatment, how many cycles are left, when is the next admission, and the status of her blood counts. She has a very solid faith in God, too. She takes time everyday reading her small bible and praying to God. She loves singing worship songs as well. Since she cannot walk yet, she spends her time coloring and drawing. She likes playing with puzzles and slime (which is her favorite). As her journey continues, she draws strength from her family and friends who has supported her in every way, and most importantly to God who makes her brave.
As her mom, surviving in Cebu City is really a challenge for us, her parents, since we left work to take care of our daughter. We don’t have other source of income. We already exhausted all the possible means to sustain her admit-chemo treatment. Currently, we are relying on loans, fundraisings and help from our relatives and friends right now to raise funds for the continuous chemotherapy. We do not know how to gather funds to make it through the 17 cycles of her treatment. Any amount would greatly help her. Thank you for your generous hearts.
