Cancer survivor: Toddler triumphs over illness
Staff reporter
She was the typical two-year-old — running, playing, and doing all the things two-year-olds do.
But her parents noticed there was something going on.
"When she got upset, she would end up vomiting," said Erin Fruechting's mother, Lori. "I also noticed some blood in her urine."
Otherwise, she was a typical 22-month-old child.
On that fateful day in 1988 that would change the Fruechting family's life, Lori had just given Erin a bath.
"Like all kids, Erin was running around the house naked," Lori recalled. "I noticed a bulge in her stomach."
A trip to the doctor resulted in the diagnosis of Wilms tumor, a cancerous tumor of kidneys. Erin had a kidney removed and was on chemotherapy for four months.
"Luckily, her cancer was in stage I which is the most curable," said Lori.
The first critical milestone was Erin's fifth anniversary of being cancer-free. This is one kind of cancer that actually is cured after a five-year cancer-free period.
"Our lives had to literally focus on Erin's needs and taking care of her," recalled Kevin, Erin's father.
As the little girl went through the treatment, her parents didn't notice the change in Erin as much as others did.
"When you live with that person every day and watch them lose their hair and weight, you don't notice how dramatically they have changed," said Kevin.
Following the initial treatment, Erin's oncologist asked her parents if they were willing to participate in a case study that would follow Erin's progress and recovery. The couple agreed.
During the first part of the study, specific drugs were administered and a regimen was followed. The study closely followed Erin's progress during the first five years. After that, there were occasional phone calls inquiring about her health. The study ended when Erin was a teen.
"Erin doesn't remember the illness," said Lori, which is a relief to her parents because it was such a difficult time for them.
The young family also had an older child, Amanda who was five at the time of Erin's illness.
One to two percent of Wilms' patients have a relative with the same type of tumor. Although an extremely small chance, was the couple particularly concerned about Amanda developing the same illness?
"This particular type of cancer, although uncommon, was an early childhood cancer," Kevin said, and the couple felt Amanda was past the common ages of developing it.
Erin has had a normal childhood and young adult life with only one kidney but it is a concern.
"It's always in the back of our minds," said Kevin.
Today, Erin is a healthy and active 20-year-old student at Washburn University, Topeka. She doesn't remember much about her cancer.
"I remember CAT scans and getting blood drawn," said Erin. "I also remember the disgusting food at the hospital," she said with a smile.
As an adult of a childhood illness that required the removal of a kidney, she grew up with the illness and doesn't know anything different.
"I was told that if I could go five years without a recurrence that I was cured," said Erin.
Erin is a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority at Washburn University.
"I picked this house because the philanthropic focus is breast cancer," said Erin. The house recently had a successful fund-raising effort where it raised $4,000 for breast cancer awareness and education. Erin also participates in the university's Relay for Life.
A sophomore and finishing an associate of arts degree in business, Erin plans to attend culinary arts school at Johnson County Community College. Her interests are preparing pastry and wedding cakes, and catering.
"I distinctly remember as we were going through this, people asked us how we were able to deal with the illness," Kevin said. "We prayed a lot and knew that Erin was in God's hands."
