Isabella’s Story
Isabella was born with a hemangioma, also known as a birth mark, the most common form of benign tumor in infants. The hemangioma showed up as a pink spot on Isabella’s left cheek a few days after her birth. By one month, it surrounded her left eye and was growing so rapidly she had to be started on steroids. By six weeks, the tumor growth was causing her considerable pain and vision became a problem.
The tumor then opened and she was hospitalized twice for treatment of the ulcer. The ulcer got worse and she developed a staph infection. She visited specialists in New York City who believed they could surgically remove the hemangioma, but only after the ulcer was healed. Isabella underwent several laser surgeries to treat the ulcer, but it continued to get worse. “Isabella’s ulceration was the absolute worse part of the whole hemangioma journey,” stated Isabella’s mother. “The ulcer caused her extreme pain. It was terrible for us to watch our daughter suffer.”
Finally, Isabella was referred to a local wound care expert, Dr. Thomas Serena, and MIST Therapy was added to her ulcer treatment. After 25 MIST Therapy treatments, her ulcer was healed. “MIST Therapy was our daughter’s saving grace,” said her mother. “It wasn’t until her ulcer was healed that we were given the chance to know our happy baby.”
Isabella then underwent a successful surgery to remove the tumor. She will have another surgery to remove additional scar tissue and hemangioma after she turns five, but for now she is a happy, carefree little girl.