Family captivates entire hospital as they support local 4-year-old with cancer

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It was more than a month of needles, poking and prodding for 4-year-old Lucy and still no clear answers.

Her mother, Jessica Donmoyer, said Lucy started getting sick with a high fever in February. They took her to the emergency room and her pediatrician in Jacksonville several times. Doctors suggested Lucy was fighting off a virus. It was before the coronavirus pandemic hit Jacksonville, so it wasn’t a concern.

But Lucy kept getting sick. Donmoyer said it progressed to pain in her hip. They were referred to a specialist, who found a mass behind Lucy’s stomach. It turned out to be a tumor and she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma.

“Tears welled up a little bit,” Donmoyer said. “Lucy’s like, ‘Mommy why are you crying?’ and I said, ‘Mommy is just a little emotional.' I just got hit with that, oh I had no idea this is what was going on.”

Lucy was admitted to Wolfson Children’s Hospital the following Monday. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, she could only have one parent with her in the hospital at a time. But the rest of her family wasn’t too far away.

“When she came back from her CAT scan, the heart was up on the parking garage,” Donmoyer said.

Lucy’s grandfather drove into Jacksonville to be with them during this time. He slept in his car four days in a row to be across the street in the parking garage for Donmoyer and Lucy. He created a big heart sign so they could always find him.

“To have him there with me without being able to really have him there and not really able to do much, he was still there as much as he could possibly be,” Donmoyer said.

After 10 days of treatment, Lucy was released from the hospital this week. Her family, friends and classmates organized a parade to welcome her home.

“The next thing we know, the sheriff’s cars come, the fire trucks come and then it’s car after car after car,” Donmoyer said. “The cars have signs and balloons and they’re decorated and they’ve got all of the kids out. I mean it was amazing.”

Lucy still has more treatments to go but she is supported by an entire community. They created a Facebook page called #LUCYSTRONG to keep everyone updated. They also created an online fundraiser for her treatment. Find it here.

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