40 DAYS TO DIAGNOSIS - NOT 100
An Inaugural Collaboration: 'Haven's Story'
— A Triumph of Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
After 12 months of misdiagnosed pain, cancer became a thought in December 2023. Not wanting to waste more precious time, Cancer Teamwork Response worked efficiently with UCLA’s renowned oncology experts who diagnosed cancer and discussed the treatment plans. Haven is a beautiful 16-year-old high-school cheerleader in southern California who was just learning to drive and enjoying her busy and happy life. Understandably, her parents were anxious. Grateful to finally have a diagnosis but fearful of what the future would hold.
From connection to the specialists, through biopsies, scans, and scheduled plans to include inpatient chemotherapy and life-saving foot amputation, it took less than 40 days.
It takes an average of 100 days for youth to be diagnosed, and in Haven’s case, much longer. Cancer Teamwork Response, UCLA, and Hoag Hospital (the family’s community hospital that provided many of the required tests closer to home) together achieved the critical goal; “decreasing time to diagnosis and increasing positive outcomes for youth with cancer.”
At every turn, Haven and her family received efficient and collaborative attention throughout her diagnosis and treatment, and it took…40 DAYS – NOT 100! AN EXAMPLE THAT CTR AND TCA INTEND TO SHARE WITH OTHER HOSPITALS ACROSS THE NATION.
Thank you to Dr. Federman, Dr. Bernthal at UCLA Health, and the entire hospital team as they worked diligently to achieve this new goal!
Thank you to Hoag Hospital for opening your doors to assist with scans for Haven in the facility closest to their home and with expedited scheduling for youth! This is such a phenomenal collaboration!
Thank you to Teen Cancer America for your commitment to CTR’s mission as we work together for youth with cancer, bridging the gap between patient advocacy and hospital support. We could not have done it without your mission for teens with cancer and the work you do with hospitals.
A personal thank you to Haven and her family, who, as our first CTR-named collaboration patient, wants us to tell their story as they are grateful for the care:
"We are feeling a great sense of peace and gratitude. This has been one of the hardest things we've ever done, but we also feel so lucky to be in the shoes we are in.
The team at UCLA is so amazing. I get emotional watching these caregivers do their thing on her behalf. From the admitting nurse to the pain management team to the anesthesiologist to Dr. Federman and Dr. Bernthal, it's truly a dream team. Hoag Hospital really came to the rescue, so we didn’t have to wait many more days for diagnosis scans. We feel so lucky to be here, and it really comes back to Cancer Teamwork Response."–Chad and Jessica (Haven’s parents)
Diagnosis and treatment of childhood cancer, which are timely and ultimately more effective, are achievable through tailored risk-based screening, judicious early diagnosis programs in primary care, targeted educational interventions, and campaigns addressing lag times across the cancer care continuum.