7-year-old's cancer diagnosis leads family to seek out UC Davis Children's Hospital
How local expert surgeons came to Lydia's rescue
When seven-year-old Lydia Alwan began having ongoing leg pain after returning home from a family skiing trip, her parents made an appointment to see her pediatrician.
"We took Lydia in and had an exam and X-rays. When we got the news, it felt like the world just stopped," said Lydia's mom, Jessica Alwan. Lydia had osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer.
Alwan and her husband began their quest to get the best in surgical and oncological care for their daughter.
"To save her leg, we needed an expert surgeon, but we also needed a great oncologist," Alwan said. "We discovered both at UC Davis Children's Hospital and were confident in her team to guide us in making some of the most important decisions of our lives."
Musculoskeletal surgical oncologist expert Lor Randall and pediatric oncologist Elysia Alvarez were the dream team the Alwan's had hoped for. And they found them just down the hill from their home in Auburn.
"Not only were these doctors the best, they were so close by," Alwan said.
The summer of 2019, Lydia underwent successful limb salvage surgery to remove and reconstruct the section of the femur affected by the tumor and subsequently endured 18 rounds of chemotherapy at the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center.
"We are huge fans of UC Davis. They did so much for Lydia and for our family," Alwan said. "The doctors are amazing, and the nurses are the kindest people on the planet. The care team did everything they could to support us and let us know we were not alone."
Committed to helping families
Our patients are at the center of everything we do – and their stories help illustrate the wide range of pediatric care we're proud to provide.
As the Sacramento region's only nationally ranked, comprehensive children's hospital, we're honored to offer families – just like the Alwan's – world-class expertise and novel innovations that help improve the lives of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
From everyday children's care to the most complex cases, our hospital is home to the Central Valley's only level I pediatric and adult trauma center, offering the highest level of care for its critically ill patients, a level I Children's Surgery Center, a level IV NICU (the highest level of care), and a state-of-the-art pediatric and cardiac intensive care unit.
In addition, we have an 850-member, all-R.N. nursing staff, trained to care for children, plus over 120 physicians across more than 30 subspecialties, making our hospital the region's greatest for a wide diversity of pediatric subspecialties.
To learn how UC Davis Children's Hospital can support your family, visit children.ucdavis.edu.
