Hear from Our Child & Teen Patients

Haldora was treated for leukemia when she was only 2 years old. Seven years later, she faced a recurrence — this time, a tumor had formed in her brain. Haldora and her family traveled from North Carolina to MSK Kids to see pediatric neurosurgeon Mark Souweidane.

In 2006, Gigi Quiroz was the first-ever patient to receive ophthalmic artery chemosurgery (OAC) to treat retinoblastoma, a pediatric eye cancer. As a result, she was able to maintain vision in both eyes, which was practically unheard of at the time. When the Chief of MSK’s Ophthalmic Oncology Service, David Abramson, saw how quickly and efficiently OAC got rid of Gigi’s cancer, he knew he had a life-changing treatment on his hands. Thanks to Gigi, the vast majority of MSK patients with retinoblastoma now receive OAC — and get to keep their eyesight.