UPMC Children's Hospital Staff Celebrates In Style After 11-Year-Old Boy Finishes Cancer Treatment
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The staff at UPMC Children's Hospital celebrated the end of an 11-year-old boy's cancer treatment in style.
Noah Chamberlain was confused because he is usually the only person in a onesie. He walked the hall at UPMC Children's Hospital for months.
"I can't even tell you how many rounds of chemo he's gotten at this point," said Lacey Chamberlain, Noah's mother.
Doctors diagnosed him with T-cell leukemia in the spring of last year.
"Never the news you want to hear as a parent about your child," said Matthew Chamberlain, Noah's father.
Treatment began immediately and Noah asked to wear a onsie.
"They're comfy, they cheer people up, they're easy to get on," Noah said.
His collection soon grew.
"I have a bunch of different ones but probably the flamingo is my favorite," Noah said.
The radiation appointments feel like forever for a child.
"They come every day Monday through Friday and go back to our treatment room down the hall. And they have usually 15 to 30 minutes of radiation treatment where they have to hold incredibly still," said Annemarie McGraw, a certified child life specialist at UPMC Children's Hospital.
During the hardest fight of Noah's life, he focused on his outfit.
"If I make someone else smile, that might make their day," Noah said.
So it was only fitting that on Noah's last day, everyone joined in on the fun.
"Our staff decided we should celebrate Noah and dress like he does because he really does it to make other people happy and to cheer," said McGraw. "Kind of flip it around and put a smile on his face instead."
"I almost feel that it's another way for him to be able to express his childhood because a portion of that has been taken away from him through his diagnosis," said Matthew.
Noah looks to the future now. But he says he will keep the onesies.
"You never know what someone else is going through," Noah said.
