What is a Wilms Tumor?

So what is a Wilms tumor???

     So we knew a little about what a Wilms tumor was. My niece Emma (my brother's daughter) had the same exact tumor and the same exact kidney. She was only 18 months old when they found hers. They found hers because her stomach was so bloated all the time. She looked like a little pregnant baby. They had to do surgery on her. When they did her surgery they told my brother that is was a stage 3 tumor and that they would have to put in a port for her to do chemo. When Emma got out of surgery I remember the doctors coming in to tell my brother and his wife that they got the tumor out and also had to take her right kidney as well. They said that the tumor was the size of a grapefruit. They said that Emma's kidney more than likely never worked since she was born. They left the room to go put in Emma's port when another doctor came rushing in saying that they examined the tumor and it was NOT cancer. She was not going to have to do any chemo. The Lord healed Emma. I remember my brother falling to his knees to pray and thank God. I also remember my mother about passed out. We all call my sweet niece Emma a miracle baby. She is now a happy healthy 6 year old. 

                                 When Emma was in the hospital and had her surgery. 

                                                             Emma Now!




















      So when we found out about Sydnei's having a Wilms tumor we turned to my brother for guidance. He was so helpful and supportive.

    So what is a Wilms tumor? It is a tumor that is in the kidneys. It occurs mostly in children from 3 to 4 and under 5. Most of the time it happens in just one kidney. But sometimes it can also be found in both. Thankfully it was just one kidney for Sydnei. About 9 out of 10 of the tumors found in children are Wilms tumors. There are usually about 500 cases a year diagnosed in the U.S. each year. It occurs in about 1 in 25 thousand children. It most commonly happens in females. 

Here are some pictures of a Wilms tumor. 

    It is crazy to think that both Emma and Sydnei had a Wilms tumor. Since Emma had a tumor and so did Sydnei they said they will do some kind of genetic testing to see if there is something that makes our family have them.