Pediatric ALK Spotlight Interview with mother and caregiver Ashley Sitorius, Hampstead, North Carolina

We interviewed Ashley Sitorius, mother and caregiver of 11-year-old Deliah, who was diagnosed with ALK-positive brain cancer when she was just 7. ALK can actually appear in many pediatric cancers as a driver mutation. Among many things, we discussed Deliah’s (and the family’s) journey in navigating this devastating diagnosis, how she has been able to advocate for Deliah’s treatments (some of them not officially approved for pediatric cancer), and her future hopes for pediatric ALK cancer.

caregiver, Patient StoriesKirk SmithSeptember 24, 2023Pediatric Spotlight, Patient Spotlight, Ashley Sitorius, Caregiver

ALK Clinical Trials, March 2022, and Upcoming Emotional Support Study at Massachusetts General Hospital

On the ALK Positive Support Group pages, I see photos of smiling, loving families having incredible adventures while living with an unpredictable and unrelenting illness. Our family has taken the same snapshots with my husband smiling in the center, his face showing no signs of stage 4 lung cancer. These pictures show the tremendous well of love and resilience we all tap into every day. But on some days, I look at these families and see my own weaknesses. The others seem to be managing this illness so well, so positively, while I wrestle with an obscured future.