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Home » The Life of Lucas

(169 Photos)

The life of Lucas Tran, and his fight with cancer

001-NN_0076-Neuroblastoma * Lucas Thai Tran was born on November 7, 2003. From the very beginning, it was clear that he had a very easy going and fun loving way about him. Just about anything would make him smile and very little agitated him. All seemed well, except he had a tendency to spit up his milk quite often. * 451 x 600 * (76KB)

002-KnL_Lucas_C_3_33-Neuroblastoma * When he was 9 months old, his pediatrician noticed a growth in his abdomen during a regular checkup. The reason for Lucas' constant spit ups was found; he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a type of cancer that affects children and infants. He was given an 80% chance of surviving and living a normal life. * 600 x 406 * (94KB)

003-KnL_Lucas_C_2_20-Neuroblastoma * His mother, Thy, shaved her head so he would not feel different when he loses his hair due to chemo. * 600 x 406 * (82KB)

004-KnL_Lucas_C_2_11-Neuroblastoma * She never left the hospital. * 600 x 406 * (79KB)

005-KnL_Lucas_C_1_33-Neuroblastoma * His father Chinh, came every chance he could when he wasn't busy working in Silicon Valley.

To see if the cancer had spread to his bone marrow, the doctors drilled into the back of his pelvis to take samples. * 600 x 445 * (74KB)

006-KnL_Lucas_C_1_11-Neuroblastoma * Luckily the cancer was not found to have spread. Lucas underwent a biopsy surgery to sample the tumor, and had a Hickman line placed into his chest for chemo and other drugs to be administered. In spite of it all, Lucas always kept his cheery demeanor ... * 404 x 600 * (51KB)

007-KnL_Lucas_C_1_17-Neuroblastoma * ... especially when his older sister Kira was around to entertain him. * 403 x 600 * (73KB)

008-KnL_CA_E_06_03-Neuroblastoma * After surgery, Lucas was allowed to go home for the subsequent chemo treatments. His parents researched all they could about the disease, and were soon correcting the doctors and nurses about various aspects of the treatment. * 600 x 405 * (72KB)

009-NN_0167-Neuroblastoma * Chemo became a part of daily life. * 600 x 401 * (55KB)

010-NN_0130-Neuroblastoma * But his family tried their best to give Lucas a normal life. * 600 x 400 * (88KB)

011-NN_0173-Neuroblastoma * As the months went on, Lucas continued to smile, and develop characteristics which we would begin to know and love him by, such as his strange fascination with vacuum cleaners... * 401 x 600 * (58KB)

012-NN_0283-Neuroblastoma * ..and his ability to find something funny in everything, such as brushing his grandmother's hair... * 600 x 401 * (54KB)

013-NN_0284-Neuroblastoma * ... and the cute expressions he gave us when we asked him Lucas, can you show us your pretty eyes? * 600 x 401 * (60KB)

014-NN_0183-Neuroblastoma * But the effects of the cancer and the accompanying chemo was always there to remind us of that his life was not normal. His physical development progressed slower than with other children his age due to the treatment. * 401 x 600 * (43KB)

015-NN_0204-Neuroblastoma * And even when all seemed well, he would never be in the clear and hospital visits always awaited him. * 600 x 401 * (54KB)

016-NN_0207-Neuroblastoma * But this was life as Lucas knew it, and he approached it with a smile as he always did. * 600 x 401 * (36KB)

017-NN_0211-Neuroblastoma * Even when strangers were poking and prodding his body... * 600 x 401 * (56KB)

018-NN_0224-Neuroblastoma * .. and even after he was given sedatives. * 600 x 401 * (48KB)

019-NN_0252-Neuroblastoma * The sedatives were for Lucas to lie asleep and still during his scans. Later on, Lucas would amaze the doctors by being able to lie perfectly still without sedatives for up to 45 minutes at a time while they scanned him. * 600 x 401 * (60KB)

020-NN_0296-Neuroblastoma * After the initial surgery and chemo treatments, it looked like Lucas would be in that 80% group of survivors. * 600 x 400 * (68KB)

021-NN_0318-Neuroblastoma * He continued to grow and further his fascination with housekeeping tools... * 600 x 401 * (64KB)

022-NN_0368-Neuroblastoma * ... and his parents were able to take him to new places... * 401 x 600 * (62KB)

023-NN_0399-Neuroblastoma * ... and let him enjoy life. * 600 x 401 * (83KB)

024-NN_0498-Neuroblastoma * Gone were the worries of chemo and surgery, and onto smaller problems such as getting his older sister to brush her teeth. * 600 x 401 * (73KB)

025-NN_0523-Neuroblastoma * And the simple moments were truly simple. * 600 x 401 * (47KB)

026-NN_0548-Neuroblastoma * Lucas would begin to take an interest in all things mechanical and electronic. * 600 x 401 * (42KB)

027-NN_0447-Neuroblastoma * But his true love would still, as always, be vacuum cleaners. * 401 x 600 * (50KB)

028-NN_0730-Neuroblastoma * He also developed a fascination for the color purple, and all things purple. * 600 x 401 * (99KB)

029-NN_0642-Neuroblastoma * His physical and mental development progressed, and he was now running... * 600 x 401 * (63KB)

030-NN_0671-Neuroblastoma * ...talking... * 600 x 401 * (49KB)

031-NN_0643-Neuroblastoma * ...and jumping on couches like a normal boy. * 600 x 401 * (61KB)

032-NN_0769-Neuroblastoma * His hair grew back out... * 401 x 600 * (82KB)

033-NN_0564-Neuroblastoma * ... and he became quite a handsome young man. * 401 x 600 * (58KB)

034-NN_0791-Neuroblastoma * But the cancer was not gone, and bad news struck in the form of a relapse a few months before his 3rd birthday. This time the doctors decided to use more aggressive chemotherapy, and Lucas was completely bald for the first time. * 401 x 600 * (60KB)

035-NN_0798-Neuroblastoma * Because human hearing relies on hair cells to detect vibration and sound, the chemo also affected Lucas' hearing. He could not hear high pitched sounds and had difficulty pronouncing his S sounds. * 600 x 401 * (59KB)

036-NN_0828-Neuroblastoma * Still trying their best to give Lucas a normal life, his parents threw him a party for his 3rd birthday where he played with his friends... * 600 x 401 * (73KB)

037-NN_0886-Neuroblastoma * ... and the folks at the local kids gym were kind enough to host it for him. * 600 x 401 * (62KB)

038-NN_0907-Neuroblastoma * But there was little that anybody could do... * 600 x 401 * (66KB)

039-NN_0844-Neuroblastoma * ... to make Lucas' body forget about the chemo flowing inside of it. * 600 x 401 * (67KB)

040-NN_0928-Neuroblastoma * When we got home, Lucas had enough energy to open his presents, but not much more than that. * 600 x 401 * (72KB)

041-NN_0939-Neuroblastoma * And when he slept, he would insist on sleeping on the couch with his mom, because sleeping in the bedroom brought back memories of the pain from the last relapse. * 600 x 401 * (80KB)

042-NN_0941-Neuroblastoma * Life carried on though... * 600 x 401 * (135KB)

043-NN_0972-Neuroblastoma * ... it was just a little different.

As Lucas would pretend to cut the grass... * 600 x 401 * (102KB)

044-NN_0959-Neuroblastoma * ... his parents were cutting their hair. * 600 x 401 * (76KB)

045-NN_0998-Neuroblastoma * And normal took on a new definition.... * 600 x 401 * (58KB)

046-NN_1020-Neuroblastoma * ... but love still meant the same thing... * 600 x 401 * (55KB)

047-NN_1023-Neuroblastoma * ... as did funny. * 600 x 401 * (50KB)

048-NN_1049-Neuroblastoma * Lucas' appetite remained strong... * 600 x 401 * (67KB)

049-NN_1063-Neuroblastoma * ... but his chemo was stronger. * 600 x 401 * (62KB)

050-NN_1088-Neuroblastoma * On the day of his 3rd birthday, Lucas spent it in the hospital ... * 600 x 401 * (58KB)

051-NN_1098-Neuroblastoma * ... and furthering his understanding of the physical world. It was both impressive, and heart breaking, to watch him name all the machines in the hospital, and explain how they worked. He would become quite good at building things and even formed his own imaginary construction & paper shredding company called Rocco. * 600 x 401 * (60KB)

052-NN_1158-Neuroblastoma * The chemo used was strong enough that his mom had to wear gloves when changing Lucas' diapers... * 600 x 401 * (73KB)

053-NN_1110-Neuroblastoma * ... and strong enough to change his normally cheery disposition. There were many dark episodes, often with Lucas demanding to be carried... * 600 x 401 * (46KB)

054-NN_1327-Neuroblastoma * ... and when she could, Thy carried him around while pushing his monitors and IV. * 401 x 600 * (63KB)

055-NN_1122-Neuroblastoma * ... and when she was physically exhausted, she was sometimes able to bargain him down to a hug ... * 600 x 401 * (60KB)

056-NN_1138-Neuroblastoma * ... but sometimes an episode of the Backyardigans was all that was needed to cheer him up. * 600 x 401 * (68KB)

057-NN_1249-Neuroblastoma * For a few days, Lucas was able to be at home doing what he loves, playing with his sister and cousin... * 600 x 401 * (86KB)

058-NN_1176-Neuroblastoma * ... and vacuum cleaners. * 600 x 401 * (64KB)

059-NN_1343-Neuroblastoma * But as always, a return to the hospital was around the corner. Even without all his toys though, Lucas kept his smile, sometimes by playing patty cake with his mom ... * 600 x 401 * (78KB)

060-NN_1356-Neuroblastoma * ... or finding new toys like his uncle's camera, which he learned how to use despite the mind numbing number of buttons on it. * 600 x 401 * (59KB)

061-NN_1361-Neuroblastoma * But when the fun subsided, the dark and difficult effects of chemo would always come back yet again... * 600 x 401 * (62KB)

062-NN_1400-Neuroblastoma * ... and the vomit bucket was never far away... * 600 x 401 * (53KB)

063-NN_1391-Neuroblastoma * ... but Lucas coped and smiled like he always did... * 600 x 401 * (65KB)

064-NN_1479-Neuroblastoma * ... because his parents did a wonderful job of teaching him how to deal with the pain... * 600 x 400 * (67KB)

065-NN_1444-Neuroblastoma * ... and the scars that have invaded his life. * 600 x 401 * (64KB)

066-NN_1527-Neuroblastoma * Because they wanted the best and most experienced surgeon for Lucas, they decided to take Lucas to New York's Sloan-Kettering hospital for his for his upcoming surgery. And so, the family celebrated an early Christmas/Hanukkah in California before they left, where their loving friends overflowed the family with presents, food, and support. * 600 x 401 * (66KB)

067-NN_1542-Neuroblastoma * Their mom tried to get everything packed and ready for NY, but Lucas and Kira had other plans for the luggage. * 600 x 401 * (70KB)

068-NN_1557-Neuroblastoma * Going from quiet Palo Alto to NY was a little bit of a culture shock to Lucas. His parents taught him to avoid noise because chemo had caused Lucas to lose some of his hearing, and loud noises would further the damage. He reacted accordingly when entering the Ronald McDonald house and hearing loud music being played in the lobby... * 600 x 401 * (55KB)

069-NN_1608-Neuroblastoma * ... but he still learned to love it there. * 600 x 401 * (67KB)

070-NN_1561-Neuroblastoma * Sometimes the stimulation was too great though, even from his photo snapping uncle. * 600 x 401 * (52KB)

071-NN_1617-Neuroblastoma * Other times, taking photos was cool. * 600 x 401 * (49KB)

072-NN_1626-Neuroblastoma * A few days before Christmas in 2006, his family awoke early in the morning to take him to the hospital for his surgery. * 600 x 401 * (42KB)

073-NN_1712-Neuroblastoma * Lucas knew what was coming, but again, this was life as he knew it. * 600 x 401 * (44KB)

074-NN_1781-Neuroblastoma * And so Backyardigans occupied his mind more than anything else. * 600 x 401 * (47KB)

075-NN_1802-Neuroblastoma * When the time came, his father carried him into surgery. * 600 x 401 * (67KB)

076-NN_1919-Neuroblastoma * And afterwards, his body laid swollen from the trauma of the surgery. * 401 x 600 * (58KB)

077-NN_1814-Neuroblastoma * There were tubes inserted into his nose... * 401 x 600 * (55KB)

078-NN_1939-Neuroblastoma * ... and into his back to remove fluid in his lungs. * 401 x 600 * (42KB)

079-NN_1887-Neuroblastoma * There were machines that injected him with painkillers... * 401 x 600 * (55KB)

080-NN_1883-Neuroblastoma * ... and assorted sensors that monitored his condition. * 401 x 600 * (55KB)

081-NN_1915-Neuroblastoma * Lucas recovered amazingly fast though, and he was transported early out of intensive care to the Pediatric Observation Unit on the other side of York Ave in an ambulance. * 600 x 401 * (85KB)

082-NN_1940-Neuroblastoma * To aid in his recovery, his father encouraged Lucas to exercise his lungs by having him blow bubbles... * 600 x 401 * (49KB)

083-NN_1860-Neuroblastoma * ... and Kira would try to help by showing him new toys and talking to him. * 600 x 401 * (61KB)

084-NN_1947-Neuroblastoma * Soon Lucas was well enough to sit upright again... * 600 x 401 * (76KB)

085-NN_1988-Neuroblastoma * ...and eat candy. * 401 x 600 * (50KB)

086-NN_1970-Neuroblastoma * Lucas celebrated Christmas morning like he celebrated his birthday just a few weeks before, in a hospital. * 600 x 401 * (83KB)

087-NN_2095-Neuroblastoma * But his body healed quickly, and soon he was back at the Ronald McDonald house ... * 600 x 401 * (65KB)

088-NN_2074-Neuroblastoma * ... walking again with a little encouragement from his dad ... * 600 x 401 * (64KB)

089-NN_2079-Neuroblastoma * ... and messing up the room with help from his sister. The family would then go back to California for Lucas to receive MIBG radiotherapy and consolidation chemotherapy.

In the spring of 2007, they would put their jobs and lives on hold again to bring Lucas back to NY for experimental treatment. However, after being confirmed for a spot on the clinical trial and completing all the prerequisite scans and biopsy, Lucas was inexplicably removed from the trial a few days before treatment was to start. * 600 x 401 * (49KB)

090-NN_2272-Neuroblastoma * It was all the same to Lucas though. Whether he was in NY or in California, he took pleasure in the simple things such as the rain falling down on him... * 600 x 401 * (75KB)

091-NN_2203-Neuroblastoma * ... or taking a bubble bath while trying to keep his line dry... * 600 x 401 * (46KB)

092-NN_2274-Neuroblastoma * ... or watching Backyardigans on his DVD player. * 600 x 401 * (55KB)

093-NN_2348-Neuroblastoma * The Ronald McDonald house also managed to keep Lucas and the other children entertained with field trips... * 600 x 401 * (49KB)

094-NN_2398-Neuroblastoma * ... where the children were allowed to play like children... * 401 x 600 * (62KB)

095-NN_2415-Neuroblastoma * ... rest ... * 401 x 600 * (63KB)

096-NN_2476-Neuroblastoma * ... enjoy quality family time ... * 401 x 600 * (61KB)

097-NN_2498-Neuroblastoma * ... be gangsta ... * 401 x 600 * (70KB)

098-NN_2499-Neuroblastoma * ... chill ... * 600 x 401 * (54KB)

099-NN_2506-Neuroblastoma * ... or work off a sugar rush. * 600 x 401 * (61KB)

100-NN_2583-Neuroblastoma * The treatment continued, and Lucas continued taking the pain. Later that summer, Lucas became more active than he had ever been, and we were hopeful.

In the summer of 2007, the Make A Wish Foundation had asked Lucas what he wanted. He said he wanted to see a volcano, and so the family was packed and excited to leave for Hawaii. Before they could leave though, Lucas' cancer had unexpectedly and aggressively spread. * 401 x 600 * (53KB)

101-NN_2590-Neuroblastoma * Hurrying back to California from Africa on the news, I could only think of Lucas with images of the cheerful little boy I knew. The face that greeted me when I arrived in California was that of someone else though, and the gravity of the situation was written on his face. * 600 x 401 * (58KB)

102-NN_2612-Neuroblastoma * Although joyous and active just a few weeks earlier, his cancer was now rampant and declared incurable by his oncologist. He was terminal, being fed through a tube, and the only medicine he received was medicine to manage his pain as the cancer took over his body. * 600 x 401 * (51KB)

103-NN_2613-Neuroblastoma * The cancer had even spread to his skull, where one tumor made him blind in his right eye and caused it to bulge. * 401 x 600 * (46KB)

104-NN_2656-Neuroblastoma * There was nothing anybody could do to help Lucas now. We could only wait, and sit, and watch as he slowly died before us. * 600 x 401 * (63KB)

105-NN_2661-Neuroblastoma * The changes were by the hour, and dramatic. Color began to leave his lips... * 401 x 600 * (71KB)

106-NN_2678-Neuroblastoma * ... and his hands. * 401 x 600 * (75KB)

107-NN_2676-Neuroblastoma * His breathing slowed drastically, and was labored as the air gurgled pass the liquid that had collected in his throat and mouth. * 401 x 600 * (74KB)