Race For Our Kids 2018-Meet Deyonna Williams

Twelve-year-old Deyonna Williams was a very healthy child prior to her sudden Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis in September 2017.

She had started complaining of painful, enlarged lymph nodes in November 2016, prompting a visit with her pediatrician, who initially said her symptoms were just a normal part of her growth process. Over the next several months, however, the nodes grew larger, causing Deyonna additional pain, and so it was back to the doctor's office for follow-up in August 2017. Blood tests detected nothing abnormal.  

Then two weeks before the start of the 2017-18 school year, Deyonna developed a severe cough and fever. She was treated at an urgent care center for an upper respiratory infection and told to follow up with her pediatrician. After three days and no change in her condition, Deyonna's parents, Rita and Derrick, took her to the ER at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, where doctors performed a series of tests and concluded she had double pneumonia, putting her on antibiotics.  

An avid learner and Gifted and Talented student who loves science, Deyonna refused to allow her condition to cause her to miss her first day of middle school. But her cough and fever persisted, and after only one day of school, she was taken back to Sinai's ER. Drs. Amal Mousa Abu-Ghosh and Susan V. Lipton ran additional tests and ordered that she be admitted for five days. The doctors biopsied her lymph nodes as well as her bone marrow, and on September 7, 2017 Deyonna was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin lymphoma.

Treatment started immediately, with Deyonna enduring five rounds of chemotherapy, the last of which was given on December 19, 2017. She was excited to return to school in January and remained on target with her classes with the help of tutoring she received during her time at home and in the hospital.

Deyonna and her family are so thankful to Sinai, especially to Drs. Abu-Ghosh and Lipton, nurse practitioner JD Murphy, and nurses Tammy, Heidi and Allison, as well as Nathanaelle Cantave and Kelly Beck, for the care and support they provided during such a terrifying time. Deyonna was nervous and scared about her diagnosis, and Dr. Abu-Ghosh reassured her that everything was going to be okay while reminding her how strong she needed to be to get through her treatment.

Deyonna is a bright, energetic pre-teen who loves dancing, singing, gymnastics and playing video games, especially the life simulation series The Sims. She currently is not taking any medication and has monthly checkups with Dr. Abu-Ghosh. She enjoys attending Horizon Day Camp with her younger sister, Deylinn. Her appetite has also returned and she is able to enjoy her favorite foods: hamburgers, pizza, tacos and doughnuts.

Join Deyonna and her family at the 14th annual Race for Our Kids on Sept. 16 as they celebrate her health and the care she received from the compassionate staff at Sinai.