No Strangers to Mott Hospital

Ben and his family were no strangers to the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center before this diagnosis. Ben was treated at University of Michigan for neuroblastoma in 1989 when he was only nine months old, but had been cancer-free since June 1990. Oftentimes receiving prior treatment for other types of cancer will increase a child’s risk for developing lymphoma later in life. However, Ben’s doctors do not feel that his current cancer was the result of the treatment he received when he was a baby.

Every year since 1990, the Ruohonen’s have made the 9-1/2-hour trip from their home in Atlantic Mine, Michigan, for routine annual long-term follow-up appointments. Ben started feeling sick shortly after his yearly appointment in 2003. According to Dorothy Ruohonen, Ben’s mother, “As soon as we found out [about Ben’s diagnosis], we knew we’d be coming back to U-M for treatment. We knew so many people from coming every year for checkups. We’re really happy with the care Ben is getting. Everyone is so helpful and friendly.”

Coping with Courage

NHL is a cancer of the lymphatic system characterized by the malignant growth of specific types of lymphocytes—a type of white blood cell that collects in the lymph nodes. About 500 new cases of NHL are diagnosed each year.

In order to diagnose NHL, a biopsy of lymph node tissue must be examined. Other tests are performed to determine which areas of the body the cancer has affected, including blood tests, ultrasound, CT scans of the chest and abdomen, MRI, and a bone scan. Treatment varies depending on the stage of the cancer and the extent to which the cancer has spread. Often treatment consists of radiation (to shrink tumors and stop cancer growth), chemotherapy (highly potent medical drugs that kill cancer cells), or both, depending on the stage of the cancer as well as the age and overall health of the child. Regardless of the treatment course, the side effects can be difficult to handle.

Ben has been dealing with the realities of cancer treatment courageously. Nur Akcasu, a clinical nurse practitioner in the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic and one of Ben’s favorite nurses, comments, “I enjoy working with this family because I can identify with the way they perceive adversity. When Ben and his mother didn’t receive the news they were hoping for, they got through it with hope, honesty, and humor.”