When Isabella first arrived at BC Children's, she needed a long course of cancer treatments. Then came the next big step in her journey: removing a large Wilms tumour growing on her kidney. To do this, she’d need to undergo a major 12-hour surgery. “Lots of people have mountains to climb. Isabella had what we called her Everest—this one, massive event that she had to face,” said her dad, Brent. Her care team worked tirelessly to make sure she would be as ready as possible. But it wasn’t just them. Donor support has helped fund clinical trial research that directly benefitted Isabella.
“Clinical trials have taught us the importance of biology,” said Isabella’s primary oncologist, Dr. Carol Strahlendorf. “This helped us decide which chemotherapy treatments would be most effective for Isabella, among other important factors.”
September 20 was surgery day. In true Isabella fashion, she walked into the hospital listening to the rocky theme song.
She was ready, and so was her team. A large, diverse group of experts led by Dr. Sonia Butterworth filled her operating room. It was an incredibly complex procedure. Every precaution had been taken, and they successfully removed her tumour—even the part that had wrapped into her heart.
Isabella had made it to the other side of the mountain.
Sometime after the surgery, she noticed a new L-shaped surgical scar on her torso, which her family all agreed stood for “Legendary.” After all, that’s exactly what Isabella was.
Fast forward to spring 2025: Isabella the Incredible is finally back home in Nakusp and in the maintenance phase of her treatment plan. She’s learning gymnastics, going to school, and enjoying her childhood—just as she should.
Her journey with cancer isn’t over, but she’s come a long way, and her family is grateful for everything donors have done to change Isabella’s life, from fueling groundbreaking research to leading-edge surgical equipment to care programs like Child and Youth Therapeutic Services.
