Local four-year-old’s fight against cancer

Cancer can be a frightening diagnosis for an adult. Imagine how frightening it can be for a four-year-old child, and her parents.

“I remember her coming into the room and asking to talk to her dad and I outside the room and I was thinking maybe if anything it’s her appendix,” said Desi’s mother, Laura Palada.

On April 16, Desirae Cechin was diagnosed withStage 4 High Risk Neuroblastoma.

“And she said it’s cancer and it looks really aggressive,” added Palada.

It was news that would turn any parents’ world upside down. At first, Palada was in denial.

“I was just thinking that this can’t be true,” she said. “Something had to be wrong.”

As Desi underwent countless tests and treatments, the nightmare soon became a reality. The fear of losing a child is a reality Palada knew all too well.

“I’ve lost a child before,” said Palada. “You’re a different person, you’re never the same after that.”

Palada and her family are determined to fight to save their little girl. They want Desi to be treated at the world famous Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Hospital in New York, where they believe she will receive the best treatment. Desi wants to go, too.

“She’s stronger than me,” said Palada. “She’s stronger than I’ll ever be and it’s funny I look up to her and admire her.”

For more information on how you can help Desi in her fight against cancer, visit her event page on Facebook by clicking here. You can also follow Desi’s page, “Believing for Desi” by clicking here.

To donate directly to Desi, click here.

Click here to watch a slideshow with photos of Desi.