Hope fulfilled

Cancer-free finding for courageous 14-year-old.

By: Kara Fitzpatrick
   MONTGOMERY — Hope Bertelsen didn’t have much on her Christmas list this year. She already received just what she wanted.
   Hope, 14, who in May 2003 was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a cancer that develops in immature nerve cells, received word last month from doctors that she appears to be cancer-free.
   Hope’s mother, Gemma Bertelsen, said she and her daughter were at the mall doing some Christmas shopping when they got the call informing them of the news they have been hoping to hear for more than a year. Wanting to scream in exultation, Ms. Bertelsen said, they waited until arriving home to verbally rejoice.
   "She went into the back yard and screamed," said Ms. Bertelsen of her daughter’s reaction to the news.
   After numerous treatment procedures, including five rounds of chemotherapy, Hope can finally say she doesn’t have cancer — but it took a few days before she could truly register that fact.
   "You can’t even believe it at first," said Hope. "You have to say it a couple of times to understand. Even after that, I still felt like I had it."
   Only about 650 new cases of neuroblastoma are diagnosed in the United States each year. The disease is usually found in children and infants, with the average age of diagnosis being about 17 months. According to the American Cancer Society Web site, the disease is rarely found in children older than 10 years old. Hope was diagnosed at the age of 12.
   For Hope, Christmas this year was significantly different than last, which she spent recovering from surgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City that removed about 95 percent of a tumor from her abdomen and organs.
   "Christmas Day she came out of the intensive care unit," recalled Ms. Bertelsen.
   And contrary to last year, Hope was thrilled for Christmas Day to come.
   "I’ve been really excited," she said last week.
   But when asked what was on her wish list, she was quiet. "I am already happy," she said.
   Hope was released from the hospital, following her surgery, on Dec. 31, 2003, but continued to undergo additional treatments.
   In January, she had a stem-cell transplant that left her in the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for two months, and in May she began MIBG, or meta-iodobenzylguanadine, therapy. MIBG is a radioactive compound that has the capability to bind to and destroy certain types of cancers.
   And even now, without the presence of the disease, Hope will still have to make periodic visits to the doctor in order to monitor progress, including MIBG therapy every six weeks to identify cancerous cells.
   Throughout the past year and a half, the Bertelsen family has received an outpouring of support from the community.
   Family friend Kathy Martin raised money by starting the "Hope for Hope" campaign. By selling products displaying a starscape that Hope painted while in the hospital one day, Ms. Martin motivated the community to raise money for the expensive treatments.
   Special "Hope for Hope" glass ornaments created by Bob Kuster were flying off the shelves at his Hillsborough shop, Belle Mead Hot Glass.
   In addition, a number of community functions were held to benefit Hope, including an "Evening of Hope" gala, which raised $125,000 for the "Hope for Hope" trust fund, and Harlingen Reformed Church’s "Songs of Hope" concerts.
   "It makes you feel humble and grateful that there are really, really great people in this world still," said Ms. Bertelsen of all the support shown to her family. "It allowed us to focus all of our energies on Hope.
   "It was amazing, there’s just no other word for it."
   Not able yet to return to ninth grade at Montgomery High School, Hope gets frequent visits from her three tutors. In February, she will receive her immunizations, said Ms. Bertelsen. After that, she may be able to attend the school for a light schedule.
   But for now, the family seems to be taking one day at a time. "Our goal is to start building up her strength," said Ms. Bertelsen.
   And Hope is just relishing her new status.
   "(Cancer) becomes part of you, so to have it go away — it’s amazing," she said.