Cancer clinic receives VeinView thanks to 10-year-old patient
By Dana Benson
A three-year battle against leukemia has not stifled the generous spirit of 10-year-old Daniela Villarreal. Her caring attitude and spunk were tangibly demonstrated recently with the unveiling of the VeinViewer Imaging System at Vannie E. Cook Jr. Children's Cancer and Hematology Clinic in South Texas.
The VeinViewer Imaging System makes it easier for medical personnel to find veins when they have to "stick" child patients to draw blood or give medicine. Daniela saw an advertisement for one during a visit to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston and saw that it would benefit children in her clinic at home. She started a fund-raising campaign that has paid for one system so far.
"I wanted to save a lot of kids from crying when they have to get stuck with a needle over and over again," Daniela said.
Texas Inaugural Fund provides gift
Daniela's campaign made it all the way to office of the first lady of Texas, Anita Perry, and in May, Perry visited the Vannie Cook Clinic in McAllen to announce a $10,000 gift from the 2007 Texas Inaugural Fund toward the purchase of the VeinViewer Imaging System.
"Cancer is an illness that touches many Texans," said Perry, a former nurse. "We must have a strong vision to find a cure for cancer in the near future as well as to promote medical research in Texas, and we must continue to comfort those young Texans who already suffer from this tragic illness."
Making treatment easier
The VeinViewer uses near-infrared light to reveal a patient's vascular structure, allowing physicians, nurses and other health care professionals to see viable veins more clearly, making it easier to administer cancer treatment and draw blood.
"Even though we have some of the best nurses here at our clinic, sometimes it's very difficult to find a vein, so this machine will be very useful," said Rodrigo Eraña, M.D., a physician at the Vannie Cook clinic who has been treating Daniela.
Eraña describes Daniela as a quiet girl, but one who is still willing to put in her two-cents worth. "She always has a smile and despite everything that she's been through, she's never complained. She's enriched my life. She and my other patients are why I do this job," said Eraña, assistant professor of pediatrics – hematology at Baylor College of Medicine.
Daniela intrigued with VeinViewer
Daniela was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia in October 2003, when she was only seven years old. Nine months into her treatment, Daniela became paralyzed, a very rare consequence of the disease. The youngster, who lives in El Sauz, about an hour from McAllen, has been able to receive most of her treatment at the Vannie Cook clinic, which is a joint effort of the Vannie E. Cook Jr. Cancer Foundation, BCM and Texas Children's Hospital and is the region's first state-of-the-art pediatric hematology/oncology clinic.
Daniela has made two trips to Houston for treatment at the Texas Children's Cancer Center. In the fall of 2006, she received a bone marrow transplant. Since that procedure, Daniela has experienced a relapse.
But it was during that visit that Daniela learned about the VeinViewer. "I was reading a magazine while we were at the center one day," recalled her mother, Dolly, "and she asked to look at it. She always wants to read whatever I'm reading, but in this case, she saw the ad for the VeinViewer. She said, 'Oh, mom, that's so cool.'"
Starting the campaign
When Daniela returned home, she wrote a letter asking for donations. The letter was printed in local publications and sent to people in the community. But it was someone she met in Houston who led her to Perry. Esmerlda Correa, who also lives in the Valley, was undergoing cancer treatment in Houston when she met Daniela in their hotel lobby. The two became fast friends, and when Correa heard about Daniela's campaign, she contacted her sister, Minnie Salinas, an assistant to Perry.
"Daniela touched my heart, and I felt I had to do something for her and other youngsters like her. She's an inspiration to me," Correa said.
"I can't even describe how proud I am," Dolly Villarreal said. "She is my hero."
Young fundraiser
Daniela's effort has enabled the purchase of one VeinViewer, and she hopes that more can be done for the clinic. Tax deductible donations for the VeinViewer and for other critical needs of the clinic can be made payable to Vannie Cook Children's Clinic and sent to 101 West Expressway 83, McAllen, Texas 78503.
