It was just after Clara Bea’s first birthday. As Clara’s mom, Amanda, was making dinner, she turned around to check on her daughter and quickly noticed she was blue. Although Clara was acting and breathing normally, Amanda called 811 and they advised her to immediately bring her to the closest Emergency Department. As soon as the Jones family arrived at their local hospital in New Brunswick, the care team quickly began assessing Clara.
Her blood work results determined that her blood cell count was very low, and Clara was admitted to their local hospital for a full week as they continued their assessments to determine what was causing these symptoms. This included a physical examination that identified something abnormal around her abdomen. A few hours later an ultrasound discovered a large tumor on her kidney.
The next day Clara was immediately taken to the IWK by ambulance. “One of the hardest moments for me was watching her being taken away in the ambulance,” says Amanda.
Clara’s brother and mom drove behind the ambulance to the IWK where they were met by Clara’s physicians.
“It was a lot to experience. We either were with a lot of staff or alone in our thoughts as we awaited results. I was just thankful we were in the IWK.” says Amanda.
After more tests, Clara was diagnosed with a Wilms tumor on her kidney and surgery was required as soon as possible.
“Our doctor had a full plan for the months ahead. We were thankful and overwhelmed all at the same time,” says Amanda.
The Jones family was able to return home to New Brunswick for a couple of days before Clara’s surgery at the IWK. The IWK care team was able to remove her kidney and the entire Wilms tumor without any breakage or leakage - a huge step for Clara!
Chemotherapy followed which was very difficult for Clara and her parents to watch their little girl endure. She even learned how to walk during this time which was a huge milestone because one of the side effects of chemo was that she could not feel her feet.
In November of 2019, Clara received the best medical news – which was she had no evidence of disease! They celebrated by ringing the bell on 6 Link. Clara Bea is now almost four years old and is not showing any signs of additional tumors.
Clara is extremely outgoing and learning more and more each day. She often introduces herself as “I’m Clara Bea and I only have one kidney.” Clara Bea is an IWK hero.
