Corey Chambers Real Estate Newsletter October 2024 | The California Home

The California Home

The month of October can be a spooky month, maybe even a scary month with monstrous problems. Yikes!! Well maybe not, but words like that seem to be popping up everywhere as kids and adults alike look forward to Halloween.

In fact, according to USA Today, adults spend more on themselves to celebrate Halloween than any other day during the year. I get that. Especially if they want to hang out with the kids to go trick or treating, or to a Halloween party of some kind.

Many homeowners and homebuyers though are truly scared. Scared to death of how in the world they are going to get out of their house and into their next one (the trick).

My Treat: As a result of working with hundreds of families over the years, we have developed a special program to help home sellers and homebuyers. We will guarantee the sale of their present home at a price agreeable to them, and in the unlikely event their home does not sell, we’ll buy it. Now that is how you turn a trick into a real treat.

AND remember… YOUR referrals help the kids.

My heart breaks for many young people and families who will not be able to enjoy this fun time of the year out trick or treating or going to Halloween parties.

As you know, tragedy falls on many in this life. Tragedies like sickness, cancers and other nasty diseases. We aim to do what we can to help kids who are unable to get out and have fun right now, Due to these evil health problems.

My team and I are addicted to helping you and those you know buy or sell the place they call home. In fact, it is a race to help as many as possible so we can GIVE more away.

A CORE philosophy at our company is ‘the size of the hole you give thru is directly proportionate to the size of the hole you receive thru.

Therefore, our Mission is to Go Serve Big!!! Serve you, serve those you refer to us and of course, serve a great cause.

#CHLA #www.referralshelpkids.com

If you or a friend are thinking about selling, make sure you choose a real estate company that you can trust — a real estate company with experience, proven results and a give-back philosophy!

Your Referrals Help the Kids. For every referral I receive, I donate a portion to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. With your referrals, you are helping Children’s Hospital ensure that critical life-saving care is available to every child they treat. http://www.ReferralsHelpKids.com

Below is a story about a very special family.

Your referrals help the kids!

Why I support ChildrenĘźs Hospital of Los Angeles

Corey Chambers Serving the community with your help.

I grew up right here in the Greater Los Angeles Area, born in Los Angeles County at St. Francis Hospital. I remember when I first heard about a young person close to our family suffering from a serious disease and getting treated for that at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. It was then that I began to pay closer attention to the work they do at that hospital. Since then, I have learned that it is a collection of hard-working health care professionals, most making their home right here in the Los Angeles area, all coming together for a common cause. That cause is to help young people overcome unfortunate health issues that life sometimes throws our way. Being a Los Angeles Area California native, I take pride in supporting in a way that I can do the good work these people do at Children’s. My team rallies around our annual goal of raising money and donating portions of our income to help Children’s in their quest to heal young people when they need healing. My team and I are committed to providing outstanding results for buyers and sellers referred to us by our past clients. I have discovered that Children’s Hospital Los Angeles shares a similar commitment to their patients. And since their services survive on sponsorships and donations, we are happy to contribute and proud to support them.
Sincerely,

Corey Chambers

*seller and Corey must agree on price and time of possession. Corey Chambers, Broker DRE#01889449

A real estate company with experience, proven results and a give-back philosophy! 

Over the years of helping many families sell their homes and/or buy another, we have met some wonderful, loving, caring people. People like you! So your referrals can rest assured that, not only will they get the award-winning service we are known for and the guarantee to back it up, but that a solid portion of the income we receive will go toward helping the kids.

Refer your friends, neighbors, associates, or family members considering making a move

You can go to www.ReferralsHelpKids.com and enter their contact info on line or forward the link to someone you know considering a move. 

Of course, you can always call me direct as well at 213-880-9910 

Channeling Challenge Into Community: Hunter’s Story — by Caitlin Kryl

The 17-year-old never let his leukemia diagnosis define him—but he proudly wears the title “survivor” in support of a greater purpose.

Hunter doesn’t remember much from his time at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, but more than a decade later, one small moment has stuck with him in multiple ways.

A blonde woman asks him: What flavor?

“She’d hold up an array of ChapSticks,” Hunter explains, “blueberry, strawberry, green apple, root beer float and chocolate.”

The blonde woman—his nurse—was preparing him for chemotherapy, delivered via his spine. The scented lip balm made wearing an anesthesia mask more palatable. He always chose blueberry.

Hunter was 2 years old when doctors first discovered acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in his blood. He received that uncomfortable spinal treatment, called intrathecal chemotherapy, consistently until he was 5 years old. Now, at age 17, much of his cancer care is a distant memory.

That blueberry ChapStick has the power to transport him back, though. “It’s a scent thing, for sure,” he says. He explains how he even referenced the memory in the opening line of his college essay.

As he enters his senior year of high school, Hunter’s future brims with opportunity: He competes on the swim team, works part-time as a lifeguard, takes as many AP courses as he can manage, and studies for the SAT while serving as a college peer mentor.

For many years, Hunter wasn’t sure how to process his cancer journey—it was too painful and felt far removed from the life he lives now. “I rejected the idea of leukemia when I was younger,” he says.

Over the past year, however, he’s channeled his personal experiences to foster community for fellow survivors and their families. In 2023, he started a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society chapter at his school and raised over $50,000 for leukemia and lymphoma cancer research.

“I felt like I wanted to do something big with that,” he says. So, he did.

The early days: mysterious bruises and a shocking diagnosis

For Hunter’s parents, Zia and Michael, the memories and emotions associated with his ALL diagnosis and treatment remain as vivid as they were 15 years ago.

“He started presenting with a lot of bruises,” his dad, Michael, explains. “It was around the time he was climbing out of the crib, so for a while, we attributed it to that.”

But the bruises kept coming, followed by curious abrasions and bloody noses. At first, their local pediatrician said it was just part of being a 2-year-old—but Zia and Michael weren’t satisfied with that answer. Encouraged by a family member who is a pediatric nurse, they returned to the doctor for further testing.

Tests revealed the answer that turned their world upside down: Hunter had leukemia.

“I don’t even know how we processed it. I just remember falling to my knees,” Zia says. “The next thing we know, we’re at CHLA for 11 days dealing with this crazy, life-changing experience.”

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the blood, bone marrow and immune system. While chemotherapy is highly effective—about 85% of children beat ALL—treatment comes with many side effects and requires close monitoring for several years.

Leading-edge treatment from the clinic to home

David R. Freyer, DO, MS, met Hunter as a precocious 2-year-old and has helped oversee his care since. He explains that treatment happens in several phases: first, to bring the disease into remission through chemotherapy and other treatments. Then, to ensure remission is permanent, which includes a maintenance phase.

As both an oncologist and the Director of CHLA’s Survivorship and Supportive Care Program, Dr. Freyer supported multiple aspects of Hunter’s care, focusing on both his clinical well-being as well as ensuring Hunter continued to meet developmental milestones as a toddler, preschooler, kindergartner and beyond.

“A lot of what we do is help families navigate critical life events—importantly, continuing to grow up,” Dr. Freyer says. “You can’t put all that on pause while they’re in treatment.”

“Starting from diagnosis, we’re blessed to have a large team of leukemia and lymphoma specialists,” Dr. Freyer adds, emphasizing the advantages of seeking care at a pediatric academic medical center with specialty expertise. “They’re national and international experts in this area. They develop and lead treatment programs and protocols that are used around the world.”

Hunter and his family experienced this leading-edge treatment firsthand: As part of his care, Hunter participated in a clinical trial at CHLA that is now the standard of care for treating ALL.

The trial, known as AALL0232, was sponsored by the Children’s Oncology Group (COG), the world’s oldest and largest scientific organization dedicated to childhood and adolescent cancer. CHLA is one of the largest research hospitals in the COG and doctors at CHLA played crucial roles in designing AALL0232, which has helped make treatment for Hunter’s type of leukemia both more effective and safer for young children.

“A story like Hunter’s is what I always needed to hear”

Dr. Freyer also emphasizes the hospital’s focus on “whole-person care” through the survivorship program, which is now the standard in pediatric oncology: “Due to the ever-improving survival rates in children with cancer, the field of pediatric cancer survivorship began to emerge about 30 years ago,” he says. In fact, he says the world of adult oncology is now beginning to emphasize survivorship for adults treated for cancer. “They’re kind of learning from us.”

Once patients finish cancer treatment, they visit their treatment team regularly to monitor for recurrence of the leukemia. Within a year or two after ending treatment, patients are referred to the CHLA LIFE Cancer Survivorship and Transition Clinic. In the LIFE Clinic, patients are followed yearly until they’re around 21 years old.

The purpose of these visits is to monitor for late side effects of cancer treatment and to help children thrive as they develop. “They’ll always be survivors of ALL,” Dr. Freyer explains, “but our goal in the LIFE Clinic is to help them return to optimal health, monitor for late-onset side effects, and prevent those whenever possible.”

As Zia reflects on that traumatic time in her family’s life, reassurance from Hunter’s providers that he was receiving top care that incorporates the latest science was key to helping her cope.

“All in all, it wasn’t as horrific as one would expect,” she says. “I needed that reassurance myself. I’m hoping this story will help other parents because a story like Hunter’s is what I always needed to hear.”

Answering the call to community

As he grew up, Hunter let his history with leukemia fade into the background. But when he learned his friend, Ian, had lost a family member to the same disease, he realized that connecting to others with similar experiences could be a way to reclaim his story.

“I hated seeing my friend hurt,” Hunter says. “It inspired me to make my experience into something better, to use it as motivation.”

That’s when Hunter and Ian decided to start a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society chapter at their high school. The chapter focuses on supporting others affected by leukemia and lymphoma, growing awareness, and fundraising to advance research and treatment.

The group’s first year of fundraising paid off more than Hunter and the team could have ever anticipated. They raised over $50,000 by auctioning off local experiences online and mailing out 300 hand-written letters—contributing to a total $1.8 million raised by society chapters across L.A. County.

Hunter recalls seeing the final number posted onscreen at a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society event: “That was the grand finale of it all. It was a super proud moment.” Survivors joined the group onstage to thank them and tell their own stories. “I’m not an emotional guy, but that was very touching,” he says. “It’s something I’ll never forget.”

A bright future ahead

Last year, Hunter volunteered more than 100 hours at his local hospital emergency room. He’s thinking about exploring opportunities in the life sciences after high school graduation and considering studying biology in college.

Returning to CHLA—where his own health care journey began 15 years ago—is far from easy for Hunter or his family. Zia says the emotions flood back as soon as she enters the fourth floor. The connections Hunter has made with his care team help add moments of joy to the experience.

“I see so many faces I might not recognize, but they recognize me from when I was small and stop to give me a hug,” says Hunter. “It’s definitely a family.”

“He was just a little guy fascinated by tadpoles, frogs and fish when I first met him,” reflects Dr. Freyer. “Now he’s almost an adult. It’s important to celebrate treatment successes, and Hunter exemplifies that in every way. It’s been a joy to watch him grow up.”

“Hunter is an incredible human being,” Michael says. “He never let his diagnosis put any limitations on him, and recently he’s been reconnecting with that part of himself as the leader of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society chapter. We’re so proud. I couldn’t be more excited to see what lies ahead for him.”

Learn more about the Cancer and Blood Disease Institute at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

How You Can Help

Refer your friends, neighbors, associates, or family members considering making a move: www.ReferralsHelpKids.com or call Corey at 213-880-9910.

Fill out the online form.

Aaroh on Christmas Day 2022

Copyright Š This free information provided courtesy L.A. Loft Blog with the information provided by Corey Chambers, Broker DRE 01889449. We are not associated with the seller, homeowner’s association, or developer. For more information, contact 213-880-9910 or visit LALoftBlog.com, Licensed in California. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Properties are subject to prior sale or rental. This is not a solicitation if the buyer or seller is already under contract with another broker.

Corey Chambers Real Estate Newsletter September 2023


𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐚 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞

What NOT To Do After Labor Day — Let’s Reflect

Redefining Labor Day  —  Labor Day has often been a day of rest, but given the current climate of stagflation, high-interest taxes, and union strikes, this year it serves as a call to reflection more than relaxation. You might be among those who are feeling the pinch and questioning what the future holds when it comes to homeownership or selling. I understand the complexity of the decision you’re facing, and it’s why I’m dedicating myself more than ever to guide you through these unpredictable times.

You’ve probably heard that you should not wear white after Labor Day.   Here’s the Top 10 List of what else NOT to do after Labor Day:

  1. Don’t Ignore Year-End Real Estate Trends: Avoid neglecting the fall real estate market. This is when many serious buyers and sellers enter the market. Waiting too long to list or invest could mean missing out on valuable opportunities.

  2. Don’t Overlook Tax-Advantageous Real Estate Moves: Failing to take advantage of 1031 exchanges or other tax-saving strategies before the end of the year can result in higher capital gains taxes on real estate investments.

  3. Don’t Neglect Season-Specific Real Estate Maintenance: For homeowners and investors in California, ignoring critical fall home maintenance tasks like roof repairs and gutter cleaning can lead to bigger problems in the rainy season.

  4. Don’t Delay Tech Upgrades for Your Business: Many companies offer post-Labor Day discounts on technology and software. Waiting too long could result in paying full price for upgrades to your systems, especially when preparing for holiday or year-end demands.

  5. Don’t Ignore California’s Drought Season Regulations: After Labor Day, some areas in California may enforce stricter water usage rules. Avoid non-compliance by staying up to date on local regulations affecting your property or real estate investments.

  6. Don’t Let Summer Vacation Mode Affect Your Investment Strategy: Keep focused on your year-end financial goals. Neglecting your investment portfolio after Labor Day could mean missing out on critical market movements, especially in sectors like technology and real estate.

  7. Don’t Wait to Prepare for Wildfire Season: If you own property in California, ensure you have defensible space around your home and that you’ve completed fireproofing measures as fall marks the height of wildfire danger.

  8. Don’t Forget to Invest in End-of-Year Technology Stocks: Certain technology sectors, such as cybersecurity or e-commerce, may see spikes in activity toward the end of the year. Avoid waiting until it’s too late to adjust your tech-related investment portfolio.

  9. Don’t Ignore Weather-Related Real Estate Trends: After Labor Day, California’s weather begins to shift. Ignoring this could be costly if you’re trying to sell a property in a market where weather significantly impacts buyer behavior.

  10. Don’t Miss Real Estate Conferences and Networking: Fall is often packed with important real estate and investment conferences. Missing these events can result in lost opportunities to network and gain insights into the latest trends.  Here’s a couple bonus items:

  11. Don’t Neglect End-of-Year Planning for Your Tech Business: For technology entrepreneurs, failing to plan ahead for end-of-year taxes, new product launches, or business expansion post-Labor Day can lead to missed opportunities or higher costs.
  12. Don’t Dismiss Seasonal Shifts in California Agriculture Investments: Agriculture investments in California often slow down post-Labor Day due to the changing growing seasons. Avoid over-investing in crops or sectors that may not perform as well during the fall and winter months.

These are strategies to help you stay ahead in real estate, technology, investment, and California-specific activities after Labor Day!

Life throws us into seasons—some of comfort, others of challenge. The one we’re in now can feel like an economic winter, but as we both know, seasons are temporary. What remains constant is our ability to navigate them, learn from them, and emerge more resilient. #CoreyChambers

This is where you come in…

For September, if you or anyone you know is considering making a move to a new home, we will GUARANTEE a minimum of $10,000 Savings for every $200,000 in sales price on the home purchase, or I will pay the difference*. You read it correctly – my labor saves you, and those you know considering making a move, a nice chunk of change. The reason why I can make such a special offer is simply that our long track record of selling homes and specialized knowledge allow us to negotiate the best deal on the best home for our best clients.  #realestate #newsletter

IN THIS ISSUE: 

  •  AFTER LABOR DAY
  •  How Your Referrals Help Kids
  • And Much More   #realestate #newsletter

Even if YOU are not moving, you can still benefit

Each month in my special California Home Newsletter, I ask, “Who do you know that may be considering a move?”

This is because YOUR referrals help the kids…

Anyone you know considering making a move or wanting to buy or sell their home, please refer them to me without hesitation. They will receive the guarantee I detailed above, and you can rest assured your referrals will help the kids at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

With a guarantee like this, you, your friends, neighbors, work associates, and family members who may be considering a move can now do so and avoid the uncertainties in the marketplace.

If you missed last month’s California Home Newsletter, we are on a mission to raise $25,000 for the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Helping Hands Fund, so we are donating a good portion of our income from home sales to them. As you know, Children’s does a tremendous job of helping kids fight through and survive nasty life-threatening diseases like Cancers, Leukemia, and non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: stuff that often robs young people’s lives.

Kids under their care are 300% more likely to enter into remission IF they can get into the recovery center. But the Recovery Center survives on Sponsorships and Donations. So YOUR REFERRALS REALLY DO HELP THE KIDS…

Who do you know considering buying or selling a home you could refer to my real estate sales team?

Not only will they benefit from our award-winning service, but we donate a substantial portion of our income on every home sale to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Helping Hands Fund.

Your Referrals Really Do Help the Kids…

I want to make it easy to refer your friends, neighbors, associates, or family members considering making a move.

You can go to www.ReferralsHelpKids.com and enter their contact info online or forward the link to who you know considering a move.

Over the last two decades of helping thousands of families sell their homes and/or buy another, we have met some wonderful, loving, caring people. People like you! So your referrals, those you know considering a move, that we help – you can rest assured that not only will they get the award-winning service we are known for and the guarantee to back it up, but that a solid portion of the income we receive from the transaction will go toward a very worthy cause.

It’s easy to refer your friends, neighbors, associates, or family members considering making a move. Simply go to www.ReferralsHelpKids.com, or, of course, you can always call me directly at 213-880-9910.

I hope you and your family are well and this Independence Day brings you much joy and happiness. With all my appreciation.

Corey

Supporting_CHLA_logo

Corey Chambers, Broker   888-240-2500

P.S. We love honoring our past clients like you. Read all about that at www.ReferralsHelpKids.com

It’s easy to refer those you know considering buying or selling a home. You can go to www.ReferralsHelpKids.com and enter their contact info online or forward the link to who you know considering a move. You can also call me direct or pass my number on 213-880-9910.

Why I Support Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles

I grew up right here in Los Angeles. Born right nearby at St. Francis Hospital. I remember hearing about a young person close to our family suffering from a nasty disease and getting treated for that at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Then, I began to pay more immediate attention to their work at that hospital. Since then, I have learned that it is a collection of hard-working health care professionals, most making their homes right here in the Los Angeles area, all coming together for a common cause. That cause is to help young people overcome unfortunate health issues that life sometimes throws our way. Being a Los Angeles area, California native, I take pride in supporting in any way that I can the good work these people do at Children’s. My team rallies around our annual goal of raising money and donating portions of our income to help Children in their quest to heal young people when they need healing. My team and I are committed to providing outstanding results for buyers and sellers referred to us by our past clients. I have discovered that Children’s Hospital Los Angeles shares similar commitments to its patients. And since their services survive sponsorships and donations, we are happy to contribute and proud to support them.

Sincerely,

Corey Chambers 213-880-9910

Below is the story of a young patient whose life was turned around by Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

FIND OUT HOW MUCH YOUR HOME IS WORTH, FREE ONLINE AT HomeEvals.com

 


Upgraded Chemo Propels Luca’s Fight Against Rare Kidney Cancer

by Jeff Weinstock

Diagnosed with clear cell sarcoma, the toddler is now free of disease, with his odds of survival better than ever before. 

“Not even in a million years did I think this was going to be our story,” Jianine says, backing up to Sunday morning, Sept. 24, 2023, when Luca woke up with his usual heavy diaper. But this time it was soaked in dark red blood.

She was startled but not panicked. “He looked like the picture of health,” she says. “He wasn’t pale. He wasn’t sick. Not nauseous. I was thinking ‘Maybe he has a UTI.’”

Urgent care couldn’t accommodate her, so a pediatric nurse friend advised Jianine to take Luca to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. “Go to CHLA,” the friend said. “Whatever’s going on with him, they’ll know what to do.”

At CHLA’s Emergency Department, a urine sample led to a kidney ultrasound, and then a retreat to a patient room to await the results. This turned out to be the last pause before “the moment that our universe was cracked open,” Jianine says, which would take Luca and family on a journey through multiple CHLA specialists providing the highest level of pediatric care available.

When two doctors entered to deliver the results, Jianine felt a flash of dread. That’s not what tipped her off, but rather the presence of a third person—a Child Life specialist who offered to occupy Jianine’s 7-year-old daughter, Livia, while the doctors and the family talked. “I’m like, ‘Oh no, this is not good,’” Jianine says.

She and her husband, Clark, were told that Luca had a mass on his right kidney the size of a grapefruit.

“I looked at my husband,” Jianine says, “and this was the last time he and I made eye contact for about eight days because every time we looked at each other, we would just cry.”

The doctors returned in the morning with word that a CT scan revealed the mass was malignant.

“One of them asked me, ‘What do you know about cancer?’” Jianine recalls. “I said, ‘Death.’ She goes, ‘OK, you know the TV movie version of it. I’m going to explain to you what it is here.’”

The doctor proceeded to describe the differences between pediatric and adult cancer, the resilience of children, and their greater success rate.

A surprise finding

Imaging done on the mass showed it was cancerous, and the initial expectation was that it was a Wilms tumor, the most common pediatric kidney cancer.

“About 95% of kidney cancers in kids Luca’s age are Wilms tumors,” says Rebecca Parker, MD, the CHLA oncologist who took on Luca’s case. “So that’s why it comes to our mind first.”

Dr. Parker sent Luca for a biopsy to single out the nature of the cancer, and the results produced a surprise. Molecular testing performed by CHLA’s Center for Personalized Medicine identified the tumor as a clear cell sarcoma, a much rarer renal cancer.

Scans revealed the tumor ran beyond the kidney and into the veins that connect the organ to the vena cava, a valve that sends blood from the abdomen back to the heart. Importantly, though, the portion that extended outside the kidney was not a separate tumor, which would have indicated spread. It was all one mass. Tests found no tumors elsewhere.

“We looked at his bones, at his brain, where clear cell sarcoma likes to hide,” Dr. Parker says. “We looked at his lungs. All of that was clear.”

The finding kept the cancer’s designation at Stage 3 rather than Stage 4, allowing for a much brighter prognosis. In retrospect, the friend who urged Jianine to take Luca to the Emergency Department at CHLA, where he could be hustled right into treatment, may have given her lifesaving advice.

“The family took him to the ER at the exact right time,” Dr. Parker says. “In the grand scheme of things, we caught his tumor pretty early.”

From less likely to likely

The extra piece of tumor that grew into the vena cava presented a problem, however, as it would complicate the job of the surgeon who had to excise it, James Stein, MD, MSc, FACS, FAAP, CHLA’s Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer.

“Any time we have to open the vena cava, it makes the surgery more challenging,” Dr. Stein says. “You have to control all the blood vessels entering the vessel from below and from above.”

Dr. Parker and Dr. Stein agreed on giving Luca 12 weeks of chemotherapy in hopes of shrinking the tumor down so it all resided within the margins of the kidney, before going in to remove it. The chemo regimen was enhanced by two additional medications, doxorubicin and

cyclophosphamide. Over the past three decades, Dr. Parker says pediatric oncologists have learned that treating clear cell sarcoma with this more aggressive protocol has caused the disease’s five-year survival rate, formerly less than 2 in 5, to rise to 4 in 5—meaning, from less likely to likely.

The effort to kill off the excess segment of the tumor that reached past the kidney was partially successful. The chemo vanquished some, but not all of it.

“It shrunk back down lower in the vena cava, making the extent of the tumor significantly less,” Dr. Stein says. “It made the surgery more straightforward. Originally, it had extended well up the vena cava toward the heart.”

During the operation, performed in January, Dr. Stein removed Luca’s entire right kidney, which was consumed by cancer, along with the small portion of the mass that fell outside it.

Dr. Parker assured the family that Luca could make do with one kidney—and even less. “You need one half of one kidney, and you can still live a normal life,” she said.

After the procedure, Luca’s chemotherapy resumed. Jianine found comfort in a study on clear cell sarcoma that she arrived at via Google—despite Dr. Parker’s request that she not search the internet, but instead to come to her with any questions. Jianine kept to the resolution for several months but finally weakened and “got led astray,” she says.

Fortunately, this was an instance of productive Googling. The report noted the dramatic rise in the survival rate of clear cell sarcoma patients since the introduction of the upgraded chemo regimen that Dr. Parker had implemented with Luca.

A hopeful Jianine brought the article to the doctor, prefaced by an apology: “I went to her immediately and said, ‘I made a big mistake and I’ll never do it again, but I went on Google.’”

Dr. Parker confirmed the information was right: The five-year survival rate of kids with clear cell sarcoma had risen from 30% to roughly 80%.

Once Luca gets to five years out from treatment with no relapse, the risk of the disease returning drops substantially.

“I wouldn’t say it’s zero,” Dr. Parker says, “but it’s very, very low.”

Shifting perspectives

When his treatment ended, Luca had two of the traditional bell-ringing ceremonies—one on April 26, his last day of chemo– Opens in a new window, and then another on May 20, after scans of his brain, bones and abdomen showed no indication of disease.

“We looked all over his body to make sure there wasn’t any cancer left hiding anywhere,” Dr. Parker says.

The bell ringing isn’t a permanent trumpeting of all clear. It’s an expression of joyful triumph that marks an end to the darkest phase of treatment. Luca’s care will continue. Now 2 years old, he will be scanned regularly for five years forward, and with each clean report the probability of a recurrence decreases.

Meanwhile, Jianine is again managing a shift in her outlook. When she first heard the diagnosis and told the doctor that she equated cancer with death, she would try fiercely to shut out the thought.

“Of course, you go there in your head,” she says. “You don’t want to say it out loud. You’re like, ‘No, we’re going to stay positive.’”

For Luca’s sake, she had to quickly get over her despair, realizing it wasn’t serving her son any.

“For three days, I was like, ‘This is not happening. I am not built for this. I can’t do this.’ Then by the fourth day, I thought, ‘You know what? There’s no mom that goes, “I’m strong. My kid gets cancer—I got it.”’ This happens to you and you realize you have no choice. You are their advocate. You have to get them through this thing. Why are we going to get through it? Because we have no choice. We will because we have to.”

Now Jianine is navigating another transition, from ferocious mother determined to save her son, to responsible mother mindful of not smothering him with her fears.

“I was hesitant signing him up for school in August,” she says. “I wanted to plan a trip for us to go to San Diego, to SeaWorld. But I thought maybe I shouldn’t because the next scan is in August. Then I thought, ‘Why am I doing that? Why am I holding him back from life?’

“I emailed the school and told them to send over the enrollment forms. I want to have great memories and photos from a trip to Sea World. I switched gears. Let’s live life and move on.”

Learn more about the Cancer and Blood Disease Institute at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

—  Story and photos courtesy Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

How you can help:

Refer your friends, neighbors, associates or family members who are considering making a move:

www.ReferralsHelpKids.com or call Corey at 213-880-9910

Copyright Š This free information is provided courtesy of L.A. Loft Blog and LAcondoInfo.com with the information provided by Corey Chambers, Broker, DRE#01889449. We are not associated with the homeowner’s association or developer. For more information, contact (213) 880-9910 or visit CoreyChambers.com, Licensed in California. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Properties are subject to prior sale or rental. This is not a solicitation if the buyer or seller is already under contract with another broker.