No one is made for cancer, but Perry Oviedo certainly has the spunk it takes to beat it. At just 3 years old, she’s already spent nearly two years fighting a type of blood cancer called acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and she’s done it with a heaping dose of grit and grace.

“As soon as she started showing glimpses of a personality as a baby, we thought, ‘Oh, God, we need to buckle up because something is different about this kid,’” said Ashley Oviedo, Perry’s mother. “She’s always had a very large personality. We jokingly call her our feral child because she’s just wild, silly and sassy.”

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is an aggressive cancer in which the bone marrow makes abnormal white blood cells that crowd out healthy blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body. Having too few of them results in anemia, which means the body’s tissues and organs do not get the oxygen they need to thrive. Perry’s diagnosis came after about six weeks of symptoms that doctors originally thought were due to a viral infection. Some ALL symptoms, such as fever, fatigue and loss of appetite, overlap with common viral symptoms.

Slowly, Perry’s once vibrant personality faded into fatigue, Ashley says. Her cheeks turned pale, and her big brown eyes were overshadowed with dark circles underneath. Once a good sleeper, Perry began waking multiple times at night.

“At her second birthday party, we noticed that she just wanted to be held,” Ashley said. “You would think, even if she wasn't feeling great, she would still somewhat enjoy her birthday party with all of the fun and cupcakes and friends. I thought something might be wrong because she wasn’t really acting like herself.”

In the weeks that followed, Perry’s tired demeanor gave way to a persistent runny nose and stomachache. Maybe she was cutting her molars, had an ear infection, or was fighting a virus or two that came and went, thought doctors and the Oviedos. But Perry never seemed to fully recover, and Ashley kept pushing for answers. 

One finally came on a Wednesday morning in January 2024, and it changed their lives forever.

Clues Emerge

On the eve of that fateful day, Perry spent the morning with her grandmother, who noticed that Perry didn’t look or act as if she felt well—a concern she expressed to Ashley during a phone call discussing pick-up plans. Her mother’s worry confirmed what Ashley and her husband, Joseph, had witnessed for weeks. Something was wrong with their baby, and it was more than just a virus. 

“It was super validating to hear from someone else who knows her so well that they also thought something was wrong,” Ashley said. “I needed to hear that because I didn't want to be the crazy mom making another appointment and insisting that something is seriously up with her.”

Ashley made a beeline to her mother’s house to pick up Perry. 

“When I got there, my mom opened the door and Perry was standing next to her, and I'm not kidding when I say Perry was unrecognizable to me,” Ashley said. “She looked almost jaundice-like and had little bruises on her face.”

Ashley made an appointment with Perry’s pediatrician for the following morning. It was the first time since the onset of Perry’s symptoms that her long-time pediatrician examined her, having been out of the office when Ashley initially took Perry to get checked out weeks before. The doctor immediately noticed the difference between the spirited Perry she was accustomed to seeing and the Perry in her office that day.

By that afternoon, results from bloodwork performed at the pediatrician’s office were in, and revealed troubling abnormalities. Too soon to suggest a diagnosis, the pediatrician’s office called and instructed the Oviedos to take Perry to the Emergency Department at Cook Children’s Medical Center for further testing.

Taken By Surprise

Ashley and Joseph were more relieved at having a potential clue to Perry’s health issues than they were alarmed, never imagining the diagnosis that was to come. At this point, no one had mentioned cancer, or anything close to it.

“I was so naive to the fact that cancer was even a possibility,” Ashley said. “I will never forget, when we were pulling up to Cook Children's to park that day, there was a dad pushing a little boy who obviously had cancer in an umbrella stroller right through the courtyard in front of Peaks the Dragon. And I thought to myself, ‘Oh my God, can you imagine?’”

But in the ER, there seemed to be an elephant in the room. No one wanted to deliver the bad news.  

After several questions from the Oviedos, the ER doctor reluctantly shared a likely diagnosis, beginning with the best-case scenario.

“The cure rates for ALL are very high,” the doctor said.

“What is ALL?” Ashley asked.

“Leukemia,” he replied.

“Before I start overreacting, are you telling me we are here because you think my baby has cancer?” Ashley pressed. 

With a sympathetic nod of his head, the doctor confirmed the diagnosis. The news knocked the breath from Ashley’s lungs.

“In that moment, our world just completely stopped,” Ashley said. “The nurse and the doctor were standing there clearly devastated and heartbroken to be delivering the news to us, but I forced it out of them. In hindsight, they weren't planning to be the ones to tell us.”

Rapid Response

Behind the scenes, Perry’s blood was being carefully studied under a microscope, and a care team was already forming a treatment plan. Two of those team members, Holly Pacenta, M.D., Cook Children’s hematologist/oncologist, and Alan Ready, CPNP-AC, a hematology/oncology nurse practitioner, met the Oviedos in the ER to explain the diagnosis and outline the steps ahead, which included two and a half years of chemotherapy. By that evening, Perry was settling into what would become her home away from home during much of her treatment—Cook Children’s Hematology and Oncology Unit. Within 24 hours, she began her first round of chemotherapy.

“The first 48 hours were a whirlwind,” Ashley said. “I was so grateful that they were able to intervene so quickly at the time. It was unbearable to sit there and hear that your child has cancer, but the rate at which we were diagnosed and started treatment, the efficiency and urgency, it's just unmatched care. We're just so fortunate to be where we are and have the team that we do.”

Perry’s Personality Returns

The 30 days of steroids that Perry received during her initial phase of treatment proved the hardest part for the toddler. Swelling made her uncomfortable and unable to walk, and she wanted to eat constantly—both common side effects of steroids. When Perry requested mac and cheese at 3 a.m., the Oviedos obliged, knowing the small act brought a little comfort and relief to their baby.

As treatment progressed, the Oviedos began to see glimpses of their daughter’s spunky personality return. Her care team noticed, too.

“She is such a sweet little girl with a lot of spunk,” said Dr. Pacenta, Perry’s hematologist/oncologist. “Whenever she comes to clinic, she usually ends up in the workroom where the doctors and nurses sit, entertaining us or showing off her outfit. She is always happy to see us and full of joy, even when she knows she’s coming to her doctor visit to get chemo. It reminds me that she’s still just a little toddler who just wants to play and laugh.”

Now in the final stage of treatment, known as maintenance, Perry takes oral chemotherapy at home.

“She has taken ownership of her own treatment,” Ashley said. “I fill the syringes and she does her meds herself and rinses them out. I can’t believe how big of a girl she has become through all of this. It's just wild to see how she’s adapted to it all.”

In April, following her final dose of chemotherapy, Perry will do what all cancer patients and their families dream of doing. She’ll ring the bell on the Hematology/Oncology Unit to signal and celebrate her completion of cancer treatment.

“We were really fortunate that Perry responded really quickly to treatment and that she checked all the boxes to be considered the most favorable category for the lowest risk of relapse for her type of cancer, which is a miracle,” Ashley said.

Play is Medicine

Medical interventions like chemotherapy may heal the body, but the interruption of childhood can wreck the mind and spirit. Cancer treatment is traumatic, especially for very young children like Perry. They often lack the emotional skills to process and articulate their feelings. Kids battling cancer may also miss out on important developmental and social milestones like play dates with friends or attending pre-school.

That’s why healing supports like play therapy are as important as chemotherapy. Play is a language all kids understand, whether they’re speaking full sentences or have yet to form their first words. It helps them feel like a kid again while walking through a deeply serious and complicated circumstance, and provides an outlet for expressing their feelings and practicing social skills.

“Whether you’re a toddler, or an 83-year-old with profound life experience, play is universal,” said Leah Webb, LPC, Cook Children’s Hematology/Oncology clinical therapist. “Play therapy creates a sacred space for children to be empowered in a world that can feel scary and complex, especially if they are navigating medical treatments that accompany diagnoses such as ALL. During a play therapy session, the clinician has the honor of walking alongside a child as they express their deepest thoughts and emotions via tools such as toys, art or a sand tray. Through play therapy, you get a glimpse of a child’s inner world, and the healing that takes place in this process is truly a beautiful thing to watch unfold.”

Play therapy isn’t just healing Perry’s mind and spirit during treatment, it’s also preparing her for the life that comes after.

“She's just been subjected to so much at such a young age, and she doesn’t know how to articulate that,” Ashley said. “I’m so thankful Dr. Pacenta referred her to play therapy. They're really caring for her as a whole person and supporting all of her needs because they want her to ring her bell and finish treatment and be a normal, healthy, happy and thriving kid in kindergarten. It's just meant a lot to me as a mom that they care about her.”

Even with Perry’s favorable response to treatment, her journey hasn’t been without its complications and setbacks, Ashley says. What they once called spunk and sass, they now recognize as the spirit of the warrior Perry has proven herself to be. Their eyes remain firmly fixed on the prize ahead—that ever symbolic and special bell-ringing day.

“It still feels surreal sometimes, but at the same time, we've been at this for so long now that I literally forget what life was like before we were the cancer family and Perry was the cancer kid,” Ashley said. “It's a rollercoaster of emotions of grief and joy that we've been able to experience even on the hardest days. And to see Perry's resilience, it's just totally changed our family. Turns out, she’s a real warrior.”

In October of 2012, at the age of 16, Tori was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma stage four cancer in her left pelvic bone. From the beginning of her journey with cancer, the Mansfield, Texas native decided that her only option was to keep moving forward. Amidst the confusion of being diagnosed with cancer and admitted to Cook Children’s as a teenager, Tori found comfort when her father told her about the newly opened Child Life Zone Music and Recording Studio.

“If I had to be anywhere, I’m glad it was here. They do a really good job at trying to make a children’s hospital more accommodating to young adults. It’s awkward being in the middle of a child and a young adult but Cook Children’s made me feel like I didn’t have to sit in my room and go through this journey by myself.”

Tori received chemotherapy and received medication for her treatment every other week, 3 to 5 days for the span of about a year. Halfway through her treatment, she also received radiation on her left pelvic bone for about two months.

Karen Albritton, M.D., a Cook Children’s pediatric hematology-oncology doctor and medical director of the Adolescent and Young Adult Program, oversaw Tori’s cancer treatment. Artee Gandhi, M.D., medical director of Pain Management, helped Tori with any discomfort or pain she felt during her treatment.

As her time continued at Cook Children’s, Tori spent many hours in the Child Life Zone Music and Recording Studio, pursuing her passion for music. “The music studio is great, even for kids that don’t have life threatening illnesses, it’s just a good way to go in there and have fun.”

Tori recently turned 19 years old and has been in remission for two years. “My life is all about music. It has always been something that has gotten me through the good times and bad.” She continues to pursue her passion for music by performing for various charities. Tori has even gotten the incredible opportunity to meet some of her favorite artists, including Joan Jett, Miley Cyrus, Roger Daltrey, lead singer of The Who, and Garth Brooks. She hopes to one day meet Stevie Nicks.

Through her battle with cancer, Tori learned the importance of living each day to the fullest. “I encourage people to keep moving forward and live your life the way you want it, because you don’t have all the time in the world. Don’t wait to do something you want to do, make it happen.”

About #erasekidcancer

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