Story from one of our warrior

Hello to everyone who is behind all the love and support of Dillon's Dreams,

We received a generous gift card and we are so thankful for all the ways that you are supporting families in the community who are battling childhood cancer.  

My name is Lori Ponce and I am a wife and mother to three amazing girls. Mila is 10, Gianna is 6 and Talia turns 5 on Sept 26, 2022!

Cancer entered our story in November of 2021. Our daughter Talia was hanging on the monkey bars in our back yard and we thought she popped her elbow out of its socket. After an x-ray, ultrasound, MRI and biopsy, we quickly learned about Rhabdomyosarcoma.

Talia has Aveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma which is an aggressive cancer of the soft tissue, muscles or tendons. She just finished her last round of Chemo on September 20, 2022 which completed her 42 week treatment plan. She received one chemo every week and every 3rd week a total of 3 chemos with an inpatient stay at the hospital. Her roadmap also consisted of 28 consecutive days of radiation. Talia will have her next scans on October 5th and we hope to see that there is no cancer left in any of her 4 tumors. 

I have strong days, emotional days and days that I feel overwhelmed with thankfulness. Being a parent of a child with cancer is a lot like being on a roller coaster with all the ups and downs. I have learned not to think about what the future may look like. The present is a gift and I am so grateful that I get to spend my life loving these 3 special girls with my husband, Mario. When you go through some of your worst moments in life, the things that terrify you the most, you see in a more magnified way that you're never alone. God and the ones who love you always show up in one way or another. Thank you for being a blessing to the Ponce family.  

Here are a few pictures of Talia along her journey.  Please feel free to share any pictures and Talia's story with others affected by cancer.