Kiv, the Kid Who Dances His 'Big C' Away

For two days and two nights, Kiv's mother stood in line, clutching hope as tightly as she held her son's small hand.

"It was so hard," Carla P. Gante recalled softly. "We went to the hospital and waited 48 hours. We lined up, but we weren't accommodated."

"Forty-eight hours. Two whole days," she repeated, "before we were even noticed."

Perhaps Kiv did not look sick?

Because Kiv did not appear weak or frail, they were often overlooked. "They prioritized the patients who looked very limp, almost collapsing," Carla said. "Kiv would only sit down when the pain became too much. But most of the time, he was running."

"His pain wasn't continuous," his mother explained. "There were times he would cry, but then he'd be going off running again. He's very active—always running, always dancing."

In fact, she smiled at the memory. "He was the best dancer during a Christmas party. He's always been my joy."

After two days of waiting, exhaustion crept in. "I told myself, 'It seems like nothing is happening for us here'."

Looking back, she understands why they did not suspect anything serious. "Kiv was never sickly when he was small. He was so active. We didn't expect he could have that kind of illness."

Kiv was diagnosed in 2022. He was barely over a year old—"maybe one year and eight months," his mother estimated. "He was still very young, but already mature. He could talk. He could express himself."

The tumor was discovered late, not because of neglect, but because there were no obvious signs.

"He didn't have severe symptoms. His stomach wasn't obviously bloated. He was chubby, so I didn't notice there was something in his belly."

By the time doctors found it, the tumor measured 13 centimeters.

"The oncologist said it was big for his age," Carla shared. "Thirteen centimeters. The doctor said that for someone so young, that was already large."

The plan was clear but frightening. "They told us they had to shrink the tumor first before they could remove it."

When Kiv was first diagnosed, they chose not to tell him. "At that time, we hid it from him," Kiv's mother admitted. "He wouldn't understand yet."

But Kiv was perceptive.

"He already knew how to ask, 'How are you? Does it hurt?' Kiv was smart," Carla said. "By the time he was three or four, he began to realize he was very sick because our visits to the hospital became more frequent. We stayed for weeks sometimes."

They never formally explained it. "He just understood," she said quietly. "When he saw the lump, he knew."

Behind the strength of this little boy stood two parents learning to be strong themselves.

"At first, of course, we cried," she confessed. "That's how it was. First, tears. Then, acceptance."

Today, Kiv is five years old. Still bright. Still brave. Still dancing when he can.

And his mother still holds his hand.