FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 8, 2000
Contact: Mark D. Hendrickson
(732) 205-1449
NEW JERSEY NEUROSCIENCE INSTITUTE
PROVIDES HOPE FOR MIDDLESEX YOUNGSTER
In 1998, 12-year-old Katelyn Prasnal of Middlesex was like any other adolescent, enjoying her summer and looking forward to returning to school in the autumn. While on vacation with her parents in Virginia, Katelyn began occasionally vomiting. Over the next month, she would become ill every few days. Initially, her parents, Dan and Eileen, thought it was a virus, or that she was nervous about starting a new school, but her symptoms progressively worsened.
In October, Eileen brought Katelyn to their family physician, who performed a series of tests and examined her eye movement. A CT scan was performed and then an emergency MRI, which revealed a medulloblastoma, an infratentorial tumor usually found only in children or young adults.
"This is the age group that this kind of tumor is seen in," explains Joseph Landolfi, D.O., a neuro-oncologist at the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute at JFK Medical Center and Katelyn’s attending physician. "The cancer (malignant) cells begin to grow in the tissue of the brain and what put Katelyn at an increased risk was the fact that the tumor had spread to involve her brain stem and the nerves on the brain stem."
"It was a hard year," recalls Katelyn’s father, Dan, reminiscing about the events that ultimately changed their lives. "We were pulled in so many directions."
Katelyn was admitted to the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute on October 14, 1998 and two days later underwent surgery, which removed 95 percent of the tumor. Six weeks of radiation and eight, six-week cycles of chemotherapy to attack the remaining cancer cells followed. Katelyn spent 10 days in the medical center after the initial surgery, followed by extensive physical rehabilitation.
"The surgery really helped reduce the disease, which was why Katelyn was able to get a lower dose of radiation therapy," notes Landolfi, adding that the final stage of treatment, chemotherapy, was also successful. "Katelyn’s treatment was extensive, so she was pretty tired a lot of the time."
Eileen said that the ability to have treatment administered near home was a tremendous help in reducing overall family stress. "It’s great that we didn’t have to travel to a facility in New York or Philadelphia. This way I was able to spend more time with Katelyn. The physicians and nurses who looked after Katelyn were wonderful and we’ve maintained friendships with a lot of them."
Katelyn, who is excited to begin school this September after many months of home tutoring, still has to return to the Institute for an MRI twice annually in order to keep an eye on any further developments.
"The MRI exam itself can be a source of anxiety," explains Landolfi, "But there is a large emotional impact sustained by any family during every step of a lengthy recovery process."
The first child to receive chemotherapy at the Neuroscience Institute, Katelyn has a good prognosis according to Landolfi – an 80 percent five-year survival rate and a 70 percent 10-year survival rate.
Katelyn Prasnal, seated left, of Middlesex shares photographs of Walt Disney World and Sea World with Joseph Landolfi, D.O., seated right, her neuro-oncologist at the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute at JFK Medical Center in Edison. Reliving the Disney memories with Katelyn are her parents Eileen and Dan Prasnal, standing. Katelyn and her family visited Walt Disney World and Sea World in Orlando, Fla. thanks to the "Make a Wish" Foundation. When asked about her favorite part of the vacation, Katelyn shyly replied, "the whales."