On the afternoon of November 28th, 2023, the Petralba family received the phone call no family member ever wants to hear about their loved ones. Fifteen-year-old Eathan Petralba was diagnosed with lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system.
It took a challenging medical journey for Eathan to reach this diagnosis. In October of the same year, Eathan was in and out of the hospital intermittently for stomach pain and daily high fevers. The physicians Eathan visited were unable to determine the cause, as his blood work tests did not show anything of concern.
On November 5th, Eathan was in his home in Yorkton, Saskatchewan when he collapsed. An ambulance quickly transported him to Yorkton Regional Hospital, where it was quickly discovered that Eathan had substantial gastrointestinal bleeding and was admitted for five days with no further diagnosis.
He needed to be transferred to Regina General Hospital for further evaluation, where he underwent substantial lab testing and medical imaging over 18 days. The findings eventually revealed that Eathan would need a major abdominal surgery, where it was then discovered that he had a transverse colon perforation requiring a section of his colon to be removed and sent for biopsy.
One week post-surgery and waiting for his biopsy results, Eathan’s health began to continually decline. He was becoming weaker every day, and his abdomen became swollen, eventually developing an infection.
After days in the hospital, the Petralba’s got the call in the afternoon of November 28th. Eathan was initially diagnosed with lymphoma and would need to be airlifted to Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon that same evening.
Eathan was in critical condition due to bowel sepsis, requiring him to undergo his second major abdominal surgery the next day. He had three surgeries in Saskatoon and was then placed in a medically induced coma for four days in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit to recover.
Eathan’s Oncologist shared his final diagnosis on December 8th. He had a rare and aggressive form of cancer known as NK/T cell lymphoma. The proposed treatment for Eathan could last between eight months to a year and would consist of aggressive chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and a stem cell transplant.
While the majority of Eathan’s treatments were completed in Saskatoon, he was required to travel to Calgary for his stem cell transplant.
Eathan’s family members have remained steadfast by his side, staying at the Ronald McDonald House throughout his treatment. Their prolonged displacement required Eathan’s mother to take employment insurance and his father to take unpaid leave from work through Eathan’s time in Calgary. This made it challenging for the Petralba’s to keep up with their mortgage payments.
Community Key was able to assist the Petralba family with their mortgage payment, alleviating a significant piece of their financial stress so that Eathan’s parents could remain by Eathan’s side through the long recovery process.
Despite his challenges, Eathan has remained brave and tough and was known to continue to be recognized as kind and respectful by his family members and medical staff. From our most recent visit to the Calgary Ronald McDonald House on September 24th, Eathan was on day 94 of his 100-day waiting period following his stem cell transplant.
On day 100, Eathan received the results of his PET scan and MRI to get the green light to go home and ring the bell. At the end of 2024, Eathan received his stem cell transplant, and things seemed to be going well at first. Unfortunately, he developed graft vs. host disease on December 20th.
On the bright side, the bowel obstruction cleared up, and he’s been discharged from the surgical team, and his care was handed over to the Oncology Team on December 26th. Eathan was also able to leave the hospital to spend Christmas with his family.
Stay up-to-date with Eathan and his journey here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/eathan-petralbas-healing-journey
Now, Eathan is considering moving to Calgary in the future to pursue university and potentially a career helping other children battle cancer. Without a doubt, Eathan will continue to inspire others with his story of how he positively persevered through one of the most difficult challenges a person can face.
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