{"id":179,"date":"2011-08-27T20:17:04","date_gmt":"2011-08-28T00:17:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/budancemarathon\/?page_id=179"},"modified":"2011-08-27T20:17:04","modified_gmt":"2011-08-28T00:17:04","slug":"hannah-christian","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/budancemarathon\/why-we-dance\/meet-our-families\/hannah-christian\/","title":{"rendered":"Hannah Christian"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hannah Christian<\/strong><\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/a>Hannah loves dancing, drawing, and animals.\u00a0 This is her Riley story:<\/h3>\n

Hannah\u2019s story began in February 2008 with a fall in gym class.\u00a0 Over the next few days, Hannah began to favor her right leg.\u00a0 Upon closer examination, it was discovered that her upper right thigh was swollen and an appointment to visit the family doctor was made. The doctor immediately ordered an x-ray, which revealed a large tumor. She explained that the location and characteristics of the tumor were indicative of Osteosarcoma. That afternoon, Hannah was referred to a local hospital for an MRI and CT scan.\u00a0 The scans revealed that the cancer had not spread to any other parts of her body.\u00a0 The following day, Hannah went to Riley Hospital for Children for a biopsy.\u00a0 The biopsy confirmed Osteosarcoma.<\/h3>\n

The plan from day one was to rid Hannah\u2019s body of cancer while attempting to save her right leg.\u00a0 A week after the biopsy was performed Hannah was admitted to Riley Hospital for Children and began chemotherapy treatments.\u00a0 She endured three months of chemotherapy prior to limb salvage surgery.\u00a0 Hannah underwent a rare and radical surgery called a Van Ness Rotationplasty.\u00a0 The surgery involved the removal of Hannah\u2019s knee and most of her femur; the lower leg (tibia) was then rotated 180 degrees and reattached to the remaining femur bone near the hip.\u00a0 Her tibia would act as her femur and her heel would replace her knee.\u00a0 This procedure gives her the ability to have a functioning \u2018knee\u2019 in order for her to maintain an active lifestyle.\u00a0 The Surgeon was able to successfully remove the entire tumor and achieve wide margins.\u00a0 The pathology report documented the tumor response to chemo as poor (80% necrosis) and an aggressive post-operative chemotherapy treatment plan was put in place.\u00a0 Hannah continued chemotherapy for several more months to eradicate any remaining microscopic cancer cells.\u00a0 She ended her treatments in February 2009.<\/h3>\n

Today, Hannah is an active 9 year old and remains cancer-free.\u00a0 She enjoys roller skating and swimming, but most of all she loves to DANCE!\u00a0 She welcomes the opportunity to meet new friends and share her story of hope and perseverance.\u00a0 Riley Hospital for Children holds a very special place in her heart.<\/h3>\n