When 4-year-old Bella complained of incredible pain in her tummy, her parents were worried right away – Bella’s not a complainer. Her dad, Travis, brought her to the emergency room where doctors assured them it was just constipation. Weeks later, Bella’s mom, Tabitha, noticed a hard lump in Bella’s abdomen, so at Bella’s next checkup, she brought it up to the doctor. 

“I could tell by the look on the doctor’s face that something wasn’t right,” Tabitha said. 

The next day, Bella underwent surgery so doctors could biopsy a piece of the mass and determine what it was. After the surgery, an oncologist sat down with Tabitha and Travis to give them the news that would change their lives. Bella had hepatoblastoma – liver cancer. 

“My heart just dropped to my feet and I had tears streaming down my face and a lump in my throat – we just lost all sense of time in that moment,” Tabitha said. 

What came next was a flurry of x-rays, blood tests and other procedures. Bella had a port placed in her chest and began her first round of chemo just a few days after the diagnosis. Tabitha says the hardest thing about Bella’s cancer journey was watching the multitude of tests and procedures become her daughter’s new normal. 

“In the beginning, if Bella was going through a CT scan or x-ray or port access, she would give me this look of ‘Why are you doing this to me, Mom?’” Tabitha said. “That look broke my heart.” 

Bella had procedure after procedure after being diagnosed, including a liver transplant that took doctors 11 hours. One thing that made everything a little less scary was Bella’s doll, Jessie. Jessie had every poke and procedure that Bella had, and she went to every appointment. She even has a mini-ostomy bag to match Bella’s – but Jessie’s holds M&Ms, as Bella will tell you, smiling.  

This difficult journey has brought Tabitha’s attention to childhood cancer as a whole. She’s amazed and frustrated by what she’s found – that research into treatments for cancers like Bella’s doesn’t have enough support to move forward. 

“Bella’s cancer is rare, but it’s on the rise in kids, and it’s not really being researched enough. When I found that out, all I could think was, ‘Why not?’” Tabitha said. “Why aren’t we there yet? And it’s because researchers don’t have the funding.”

Because of the harsh treatments Bella received, she needed two liver transplants, both major surgeries with a lot of risks. The donor for her second new liver was an 8-year-old boy, whose family gave the ultimate gift in their time of grief to help Bella live.  

Bella recently reached a monumental milestone – five years cancer free and five years post-transplant. She’s transitioned to long-term survivorship, meaning regular labs, appointments and a steadfast routine of medications.  

“This side of cancer means Bella can embrace a new normal and enjoy things kids her age should be doing,” said Tabitha. For Bella, that includes playing basketball, flag football, piano lessons and swimming. 

“I want to see her change the world,” Tabitha said. “I want to see her help someone else – and I know she will. She already has; she’s helped so many people. I’m excited to see how her story continues to unfold.”