Children’s Hospital team collaborates with local hospital to provide care

11-year-old Morgan began to have constant stomach pain, and doctors struggled to determine the cause. After months of pain, it became so unbearable that her parents took her to the ER. A worrisome CT scan led to an MRI and various lab work that ultimately revealed a potentially cancerous tumor on her pancreas. While this tumor is not uncommon in young women, they aren’t typically found in children as young as Morgan. Her care team at her community hospital in Virginia determined she would need the Whipple procedure, and Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR and VCU Health) stepped in to help. Before her 7-hour surgery, doctors and child life specialists made sure Morgan felt comfortable and prepared. They even encouraged her to partake in her favorite activity, hunting, the day before her surgery. The surgery went well, and Morgan went home after just three days, and by the next week, she was hunting again! Her tumor was completely removed, and she won’t need any future treatment.