teamsam.com Blog

About TeamSam

Sam Hutchison is a fun-loving, soccer-playing, heelie-wearing, taco-eating, video game-playing, bike-riding, Magic Treehouse book-reading, bionicle-building, transformer-transforming, brother-tormenting, brother-loving, baby brother-kissing, speed-loving seven year-old. On January 19, 2005, Sam was diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma with a tumor in his abdomen, three bone lesions, and 95% packed bone marrow. His tumor is non-nmyc amplified. Sam completed the standard COG protocol 3973 which included six rounds of high dose chemo, a six hour surgery to remove the primary tumor, a stem cell transplant at The City of Hope, radiation, and six months of accutane. Sam was declared NED in October of 2005 after stem cell transplant. In August of 2006 it was confirmed that Sam had relapsed with a bone lesion on the left femur and 5% bone marrow involvement. Sam’s disease progressed after 2 rounds of oral fenretinide. He underwent radiation to both spots on his legs and he has now completed six rounds of IV Topetecan/Cytoxan, seven rounds of IV Topetecan with oral Cytoxan and four rounds of oral Cytoxan alone.  Sam has been on Nifurtimox for one year now and has been taking it nonstop since we started chemo after progression on Fenretinide.  In August of 2007 Sam did the Nestle’s Vaccine Trial in Houston Texas. He is currently on Nifurtimox and 25mg of oral cytoxan daily (and many supplements) and there is currently no evidence of disease (11/5/07).   This site is to keep friends and family updated on Sam and his family and their battle with nasty evil Neuroblastoma. Â