Yolanni Lopez is a 10-year-old bundle of creative energy. She dreams of being a ballroom dancer. In her room, she makes up dance routines and plans the outfits she will wear when she is famous, like her idols from The Disney Channel. She is energetic, spirited and always well accessorized. Maybe one day she will become a fashion designer, too. For Yolanni, the possibilities are endless.
Giovanni Lopez is a protective, caring mother who considers her daughter, Yolanni, her best friend. When she was pregnant with Yolanni, she carefully chose her daughter’s name, which she said means "a very loved child." She keeps an attentive eye over Yolanni as she watches "High School Musical" for what seems like the 100th time. She dreams of her daughter’s future—as a designer, as a mother, as whatever Yolanni wants to be. For Yolanni’s mother, the possibilities for her daughter are endless.
It has been a little more than a year since Yolanni was diagnosed with cancer. Yolanni’s mother watched her little girl battle for her life, helplessly standing by as she prayed the doctors at the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta could save her daughter. Sept. 4, 2007, was a day that changed both Yolanni’s and Giovanni’s lives forever—the day Yolanni was diagnosed with Burkitt’s lymphoma. Giovanni first became concerned when she noticed Yolanni’s breathing was labored during sleep.
"I really started to notice the snoring," Giovanni said. "She couldn’t breathe while she was sleeping. There were nights I would sit next to her while she was sleeping and keep my finger in her mouth, because it seemed like her airway was blocked."
Yolanni’s airway was indeed blocked. A visit to her pediatrician showed a large tumor in Yolanni’s throat, near her tonsils. Giovanni took Yolanni to Children’s, where doctors confirmed the diagnosis of the tumor. The good news about Yolanni’s cancer, they told Giovanni, was that there was 95 percent to 98 percent survival rate. The worrisome news was that Yolanni’s cancer was spreading quickly. Giovanni was terrified she would lose her daughter. But staff members at Children’s gave her peace of mind.
"They were there for me from the first moment. Everyone was so calm and patient and so nice."
Yolanni, too, remembers when doctors explained her diagnosis.
"I didn’t want to have cancer. I was scared because a lot of people have died from cancer," she said. “But the doctors and nurses and child life specialists made it easier for me to understand, and that made me feel better."
Today, thanks to scientific research and collaboration, more than 75 percent of children with cancer will survive.
Yolanni went through more than five months of chemotherapy.
"Yolanni has such a strong spirit. She was the one to wipe my tears sometimes,” Giovanni said. "She caught me by surprise. She never once gave up."
Yolanni’s cancer is now in remission. And Giovanni is grateful for the support and care she and her daughter found at Children’s.
"It was a life-changing experience. To think that the wonderful care we got came from people who weren’t even family members. It changes you. It’s something we’ll never forget."
Yolanni continues to visit the Aflac Cancer Center for checkups every three months. If any of her friends had to go to Children’s, she’d tell them not to worry.
"I’d tell them not to be scared because everyone at the hospital is very nice and they take really good care of you. It’s fun."