St. Jude family celebrates 1 year in remission

Shawna's daughter, Lucy, was diagnosed with ALL in Dec. 2010. The cancer has been in remission since Feb. of 2011. (Photo courtesy St. Jude)

BLOOMINGTON – A Bloomington family will soon be holding a party to celebrate one year since their four-year-old daughter’s cancer was in remission.

Shawna Weber considers that prognosis a gift as Lucy was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic lymphoma (ALL) the day after Christmas in 2010. After spending two months at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, doctors declared Lucy’s cancer to be in remission on Feb. 11, 2011.

“We have a while to go yet, but are marking every milestone,” Weber said. “Every month brings us closer to being done with treatment.”

Weber said Lucy continues treatment weekly at St. Jude Midwest Affiliate in Peoria and every other month at the hospital in Memphis. That treatment is expected to continue until July of 2013.

While Weber says she looks forward to that date, she says St. Jude has become an extended family.

“When we go down to Memphis, we have a lot of people we connect with. It’s actually become a huge part of our family.

Lucy even joked that she found a boyfriend during her time in Peoria, another four-year-old patient, who Lucy’s mom says had a shaved head just like her daughter once had.

Weber says she and her husband Zach, who also have a six-year-old son, immediately considered filing for bankruptcy when doctors informed them of the diagnosis before St. Jude informed them that Lucy’s treatment was all paid for by insurance and the hospital.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital treats an estimated 7,800 patients each year. (Photo courtesy St. Jude)

“That was a huge relief,” Weber said.

ALL is the most common form of childhood cancer. In the 50 years since St. Jude opened, the survival rate has grown from four percent to 94 percent.

The WJBC/St. Jude Radiothon continues Thursday and Friday. You can help by becoming a Partner in Hope by calling 1-800-374-4995 or donating online at WJBC.com.

Click here to listen to Patti Penn’s interview with Shawna Weber and her daughter Lucy, who sings her favorite Beatles’ song that she learned while getting treatment at St. Jude.

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Eric Stock can be reached at eric@wjbc.com.