Just days before Christmas, seven-year-old Lola Potvin was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma.
What began as mild stomach pain quickly revealed something far more alarming—a 17-centimeter tumor in her abdomen. Within hours, Lola and her family found themselves in the oncology unit at Dell Children’s Medical Center, overwhelmed and without answers, but hanging on to hope as they processed the shocking diagnosis.
Neuroblastoma treatment is often described as “the kitchen sink method” because it involves an aggressive combination of therapies. For Lola, that meant five rounds of intensive inpatient chemotherapy, multiple tumor resection surgeries, two high-dose stem cell transplants, radiation, and six rounds of immunotherapy paired with chemotherapy. Along the way, she battled fevers, including one spiking to 107.9 degrees, painful sores throughout her body, and kidney failure that resulted in an ICU stay. At one point, she was even placed on a ventilator. During this time, even while holding onto hope, her family wasn’t sure she would make it through.
However, even during her hardest moments, the family was never alone.
Dell Children’s became more than a hospital for the Potvin family—it became a port in a relentless storm. “After everything we’ve been through, Dell Children’s has become our community,” says Lola’s mom, Jeni. “We’re there so much that we know people from all over the building. The nurses are incredible. They remembered Lola even when we hadn’t been in for months. That kind of care and attention matters when you’re living through something like this.”
Lola’s oncologist, Dr. Michael Mitchell, stood out to Jeni not only for his medical expertise but for his compassion and flexibility. “He never made me feel silly or dismissed,” Jeni says. “Even when I brought him articles I found online—things I didn’t always understand—he listened. He was open to anything that might help Lola or ease my worry. He treated us like partners and helped me find peace of mind.”
Lola also participated in the TRACK study, which utilizes tumor DNA testing to detect microscopic traces of cancer that scans may not always catch. While her imaging showed no signs of disease, her DNA test revealed lingering cells, leading Dr. Mitchell to adapt her treatment plan. The result: Lola’s tumor DNA went to zero after the second round of immunotherapy and has remained undetectable ever since.
Now, a year out from treatment, Lola is back to being the spirited, loud, tumbling, swimming, giggling girl she always was.
The Potvins will never forget the care they received—care that affected their whole family. Whether it was Christmas in the hospital made magical for her son, or the steady presence of a doctor who was willing to think outside the box, the Potvins found at Dell Children’s wasn’t just expert medical care, it was hope and a community that kept them going.
“It changed everything,” Jeni says. “And it saved her life.”