Facing Stage 4 Cancer at Just Two Months Old
By Ruveena Mariathas
When Mallika was born, we thought she was just a fussy baby. She cried every night, and we took turns holding her upright while sleeping on the couch. Several visits to walk-in clinics indicated she had colic. But when she stopped having wet diapers and bowel movements, we knew it was something
more serious.
At just two months old Mallika was diagnosed with stage 4 rhabdomyosarcoma. Her treatment began almost immediately—aggressive chemotherapy that had us constantly travelling to downtown Toronto, me with no income and bills piling up.
Our POGO Interlink Nurse connected us to POGO’s Financial Assistance Program and handled the paperwork during a time when everything felt overwhelming. On her regular visits to our home, she always took time to check in o
n our older daughter, Ashwana, to make sure she was coping with her sister being sick and her parents being away so often at the hospital.
Eventually, we were able to move part of Mallika’s care to the POGO Satellite Clinic at Scarborough Health Network. Being close to home meant we could sleep in our own beds, spend more time with Ashwana, and bring Mallika in for her daily chemotherapy without the added pressure of a long commute. The Satellite Clinic is a warm and welcoming environment, and the nurses became like family—they knew her well, noticed small changes and helped us through some scary moments, including a serious episode of dehydration.
Mallika has had surgery to remove her bladder and now needs daily catheterization, which means we have to use a tube to keep her wounds from closing. When she turns five, doctors plan to create a neobladder—a surgically constructed bladder to help restore some normal function. Despite all she’s faced, she’s full of energy and steadily catching up on her milestones.
Mallika rang the bell at the clinic to mark the end of treatment. Our POGO nurse cried. We cried. After everything we’d been through, it felt like we could finally breathe.
