8-year-old served as Relay for Life honorary chairman
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on May 19, 2015 1:46 PM
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Anna Beth Sanderson, this year's honorary children's chairman for Relay for Life, proudly displays a necklace created from beads collected throughout doctor visits and chemo treatments since being diagnosed in 2006 with neurofibromatosis, a genetic condition that causes premature puberty.
bbarclay@newsargus.com
Anna Beth Sanderson had to face the harsh reality of cancer at a very young age. But she didn't let it get the best of her.
In fact, when she completed her chemotherapy, she wore a Disney "Frozen" Elsa dress as a symbol of letting her cancer go.
To help other children let it go, too, Anna Beth agreed to be this year's honorary children's chairman for the Relay for Life, which was held Friday and Saturday at the Wayne County Fairgrounds.
The 8-year-old was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis in 2006 -- a genetic condition that can cause tumors to grow on nerve endings, her mother Kim said. Anna Beth was already going to the University of North Carolina Children's Hospital once a year for a check up for the condition.
"In June 2012, I told her neurologist at UNC that she had a knot under her left breast and was really moody and had underarm odor, which was really strange for a 6-year-old," Kim said.
The possibility of cancer never entered Kim's mind.
"Two MRIs confirmed that she had an optic glioma tumor in her eye nerves," she said. "It's a rare kind of cancer, usually slow growing and found in children. It's been associated with neurofibromatosis."
From July 31, 2012, to Dec. 31, 2014, Anna Beth had chemotherapy.
"They did chemo because they couldn't do eye surgery because she could lose her sight," Kim said. "It was in the nerves of both eyes."
But before chemo even began, Anna Beth had surgery in July 2012 to put a purple portacath in and then have her first treatment. Her mother said she was supposed to spend that night at the hospital, but refused.
"I told them I wasn't spending the night at the hospital because I didn't want to," Anna Beth said.
So she went home instead.
"She did so well that they let her go home that night," Kim said. "She was the first patient who didn't have to stay overnight."
Anna Beth said the worst part of chemo was losing her hair.
"I lost my hair and I was like upset," she said. "I wore a little wig and sometimes I wore a hat."
Kim said Anna Beth had beautiful long blond hair before the cancer that went down to her hips, having never had a haircut in her life.
"It started getting really thin on top about a month into her chemo," Kim said. "So she had her first haircut ever, cut up to her shoulders. We kept her 12-inch braided ponytail."
The tumor also caused Anna Beth to start puberty early.
"She had to have a Lupron Depot shot every 28 days on her bottom to slow down the puberty process," Kim said. "But it became so stressful and painful that she was switched to a Supprelin LA Implant, which was put into her left arm in March 2013. It had to be replaced every year."
Throughout the ordeal, Anna Beth kept going with God's help, she said.
When she was asked to be the honorary children's chairman this year, Anna Beth was surprised. Then she became excited.
"I hope I can help other kids with my story," she said.
Also at this year's Relay, Anna Beth had her own team. Her church, Living Word Ministries, put together a team in her honor.