Blessed Beyond Measure

Derick was born with six heart defects, including coarctation of the aorta, which is when the tube that carries oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body is more narrow than usual, and aortic valve stenosis, which reduces blood flow from the heart to the aorta to the rest of the body. These two conditions were life-threatening and required major surgeries when Derick was just weeks old.

After spending a combined total of 140 days in both the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at CHRISTUS Children’s, Florencia, Derick’s mother, thought the worst was behind them.

“He had already been through so much and had done so well. I was ready to get Derick home and establish some normalcy in our routines,” said Florencia.

But life had other plans for the Valadez family. Before he was ready to leave CHRISTUS Children’s, he had surgery to place a G-tube, which would help him receive the calories he needed to grow. Unfortunately, when their pediatric surgeon was performing the procedure, he noticed two abnormal spots on Derick’s liver.

After two rounds of chemo, Derick’s tumor shrank, putting him in a better position to have surgery. In March 2022, Derick had liver resection surgery, in which parts of his liver and gallbladder were removed.

After his surgery, Derick would need another two rounds of chemo. In May, before he turned one year old, he had another scan. The images revealed the treatment had worked – Derick was cancer free!

In June, CHRISTUS Children’s held a bell-ringing ceremony for Derick and his family. Members of his oncology team, as well as his cardiac team, joined to celebrate the end of his cancer treatment.

“He is truly a miracle baby in so many ways. Before his first birthday, Derick survived two heart surgeries and cancer, which truly amazes me,” said Florencia.

Florencia and her family are immensely thankful for all of the amazing doctors and nurses who cared for Derick throughout his cancer journey, especially Dr. Nadia Cheek. They also have tremendous gratitude for the surgical team, who performed Derick’s surgeries, including his G-tube procedure, where he first identified the suspicious-looking spot on Derick’s liver.

“Without CHRISTUS Children’s proactive approach, Derick’s cancer could have easily spread to other parts of his body, and we would have been looking at an entirely different situation,” said Florencia. “Without a doubt, we are blessed beyond measure.”

To help little miracles like Derick, visit ChristusChildrensFoundation.org/donate to make a gift today.