Veronica Cappalonga, 28, knows a lot about living with cancer. Diagnosed at age 6 with leukemia and at 22 with a malignant brain tumor, the Los Angeles (Mar Vista area) resident will walk in the Nov. 6 Heroes of Hope Race for Brain Tumor Research - not only to help fundraise, but also to show that survivors can fight these diseases with dignity.
"Veronica wanted to study to become a spokesperson for children with cancer. She hasn't been able to finish that, but she is a walking and living example for people who have leukemia or brain cancer or challenges in life. You can create a beautiful life, even with all those challenges," said her mother, Rocio Cappalonga, who will walk beside her daughter as part of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's "Tumor Terminators" team. Veronica also is recruiting family and friends to join her own team, "Ninjas for Cure."
The event will start at 8 a.m. on Nov. 6 at Dockweiler State Beach and include a 5k/10k, Kids' Fun Run and other family-oriented activities. Money raised by the Tumor Terminators will support brain tumor research at Cedars-Sinai's Department of Neurosurgery and Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute.
Veronica's cancer-fighting journey started at Children's Hospital Los Angeles when she was diagnosed with leukemia. She underwent radiation therapy, chemotherapy and, 2 ½ years later, a bone marrow transplant. "Her body was pretty well radiated, and the assumption is that the heavy cranial radiation that they only could do back then resulted in the glioblastoma," Rocio said. Glioblastoma multiforme is the most aggressive form of malignant brain tumor.
In 2005, doctors at the University of California, Los Angeles, initially deemed Veronica's tumor inoperable, but because it quadrupled in size in just a few days, they had to surgically remove what they could, Rocio said. Then they targeted the tumor site with highly focused radiation and Veronica was treated with several types of chemotherapy, including Avastin, a drug designed to prevent tumors from growing by blocking their ability to build blood vessels they need to survive.
A few years ago, following a change in insurance coverage, Veronica's care was transferred to Jethro Hu, MD, a neuro-oncologist in Cedars-Sinai's Neurology and Neurosurgery departments. "He has been wonderful. He is an incredible human being, and his (medical) group has just been wonderful," Rocio said.
The brain tumor, surgery and treatment left Veronica with right-side weakness and difficulty speaking. She usually relies on a wheelchair for mobility and when asked questions, she writes out the answers - now with her left hand instead of right. She still has a sweet personality and even a sense of humor. "The Veronica she was before, she still is now," her mother said, noting that the whole family - mother, father, two older brothers and younger sister - help her achieve as much as she can, which often is more than some expect.
"She went through physical therapy and occupational therapy and did as much as many people said she would be able to do. I always encourage Veronica to look further, beyond that, because many times expectations stifle; they don't allow you to see the possibility of being able to do more," Rocio said. "Now she is in a wheelchair but she also can walk and do other things, like yoga. She's able to do certain stretches, which have allowed her to improve her physical being and be able to walk and get around."
She also swims and takes other classes at Santa Monica College, which has programs to accommodate students with disabilities.
After the brain tumor surgery, as the extent of Veronica's limits became clear, she reached for a pen. "One of the first things she wrote, on a piece of school-lined paper, was, 'Mom, will you walk with me?' - asking for help and assistance in many different ways," Rocio recalled. "I said, 'You would do the same thing for me, I am sure. Allow me, then, to take that walk with you.' "
Asked why she wants to participate in the Heroes of Hope Race - which she also did last year - Veronica begins to write. Rocio reads and explains: "Veronica started to write 'raising awareness and raising funds for the cure. It's very important.' Also, part of that is giving back … showing, for instance, that our doctors and our nurses are appreciated, and being able to touch the life of someone who can look at Veronica and say, 'If she can do this, I can do this, too. And do it powerfully.'"
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