The Honorary Chairperson for the 12th Annual Treasuring Our Kids Hawaiian Luau Fundraiser is five-year-old Orland Park resident Isla Dorsey. When Isla was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, her mother Danielle knew her life would become quite different. Throughout Isla’s cancer treatments at Advocate Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn, the Dorsey’s have appreciated the positive effects whenever Isla has visited the Treasure Chest. The Foundation’s Board President Salvatore Cirrincione recently interviewed Danielle to gain insight into the family’s experience and was impressed with the remarkable courage they have shown in the face of adversity.

POTCF: Can you tell me about the time when Isla was diagnosed? How was her cancer initially detected?

Danielle: In 2022 Isla developed what seemed to be allergies. She had a constant runny nose, watery eyes and ear infection after ear infection. Things took a turn in May when she was taken to the pediatrician yet again. This time her nose was bleeding daily and she had developed headaches. Her pediatrician sent us home with an antibiotic prescription with instructions to call him and fill it in two days if she wasn’t better. Two days later we started the meds and the next day visited the doctor again, where he noticed that the roof of her mouth felt different from the visit a few days before. We were immediately sent for a CT to rule out a sinus abscess. Isla was admitted to the ER and it was 25 days before we would go home.

POTCF: What type of treatment did Isla go through?

Danielle: Isla received 42 weeks of intensive chemotherapy that took 52 weeks to complete. She received 33 days of photon radiation treatment that was completed urgently at the start of her treatment. After that first year she then went on to complete six more months of maintenance chemotherapy.

POTCF: Can you tell me about the hospitalizations/clinic?

Danielle: Isla’s treatment was extremely tough on her little body. She would be hospitalized every three weeks for chemo, and would end up having to go back each time for days/weeks at a time for low counts and fevers. She landed in the PICU three times throughout her treatment and when she wasn’t inpatient we were in clinic two to three days a week.

POTCF: What is the worst part of Isla’s treatment?

Danielle: Our whole experience with cancer and treatment has been pretty traumatic. We spent more time in the hospital due to chemo effects than we did at home for the first year. Chemo was so tough on her that she did not eat by mouth for that year, requiring her to be tube fed. That tube caused a lot of pain and trouble for her. Isla lost the vision in her left eye due to the tumor causing damage to her optic nerve. Then in November of 2022 she developed a severe mastoid infection that required two emergency surgeries and caused her to lose hearing in her left ear. I almost lost her during that time.

POTCF: What is the best part, if there is a good part, of the clinic/hospital?

Danielle: She really enjoys the fish tanks!

POTCF: Can you tell me about the Treasure Chest at the hospital?

Danielle: The Treasure Chest at our hospital is so great! They have a cute toy chest that is always fully stocked with all kinds of goodies that the kids can trade their “Keyser Kash” for. They receive one Keyser Kash for each visit—-harder days may earn them more—and they can trade those bucks in for the toy of their choice. It’s such a fun way to go “shopping”!

POTCF: Did knowing Isla would receive a toy or gift card help the hospital experience?

Danielle: Absolutely! Isla absolutely hated having her port accessed. On days that she wasn’t as compliant as others we were able to bribe her with an early trip to the Treasure Chest and she picked something out right after she got her “butterfly” in.

POTCF: Did your relationships with friends and family change?

Danielle: You definitely learn who your people are when your child is diagnosed with cancer. People who I thought would be around more kind of disappeared, while complete strangers became like family. My parents and my sisters have been by our sides the entire time though, they have been our rocks and our constants.

POTCF: How did Isla’s sibling(s) handle her cancer diagnosis and the aftermath?

Danielle: Isla is an only child, but she is very close with her cousins. They have struggled a lot with her diagnosis. Not being able to see her much for such a long time was very hard. They also saw the gifts that Isla received, so there was/is some jealousy. They’re young and it’s hard for them to understand what she’s been through.

POTCF: Someone once told Colleen that her son’s cancer treatment would change her for the better. Has this changed you in any way?

Danielle: I will forever be changed by cancer. I don’t know whether for good or bad yet though!

POTCF: What would you say to a family who just learned their son or daughter had been diagnosed with cancer?

Danielle: Take it day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. You can do this and you will.

POTCF: What would you say to the Treasure Chest Foundation contributors? Please elaborate on the importance of their continued contributions.

Danielle: Thank you doesn’t seem like enough. There is something to say about having to hold your child down, screaming and kicking, for a procedure and then seeing the smile on their face as they watch their new Hatchimal hatch, brush their new Barbie’s hair, or roll a new monster truck all over their chair. The relief that your contributions give to families as their new gifts provide distractions and comfort is something I will never fully be able to express. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

POTCF: Please elaborate about the Treasure Chest Foundation, perhaps a personal story.

Danielle: Isla was initially treated at a hospital that did not have a Treasure Chest. I would have to bring things from home, or gifts we had received in order to distract her on hard days. It was an added stress for me—I had enough to worry about and remember! In January 2023 I had Isla’s care transferred to Advocate Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn. Her very first visit there she was introduced to the Treasure Chest when her new doctor took her for a walk. You would have thought she won the lottery that day. From that day on, she looked forward to visiting our new home away from home. She knew that she would be able to stop and “get a prize”, as she so lovingly calls her stops by the Treasure Chest.