27 March 2024 , 23:23
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A mother has recalled the day her teen daughter passed away from cancer, just hours after she celebrated a Hawaiian Luau prom with her friends from her ICU bed.
Analisia Liedka, 17, found out she had cancer last December when a small injury from her PE class didn't get better. It turned out she had a hidden tumour that was life-threatening.
The cancer, a rare and aggressive type called sarcoma, had spread all over her body. Her doctor, who has been treating kids for 30 years, said this kind of cancer can't be stopped once it spreads.
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In a sparkly green dress, Analisia got to hang out with her sister and friend for the last time at her 'prom' (Courtesy of Ashley Proctor)The student had planned to attend her prom at Fayetteville-Manlius High School and despite a deadly cancer diagnosis that gave her just six months to live Analisia began looking for a dress in January. The teen's Make-A-Wish request was a trip to Hawaii, but her mum said she needed too many medical devices to take a long flight.
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Analisia remained optimistic until she was being treated in the ICU in her final week, her mother said. That's when the non-profit scrambled to assemble a party at her bedside.
Analisia Liedka died March 17, 2024, months after being diagnosed with a rare cancer (Courtesy of Ashley Proctor)On March 10 Analisia started ready for her prom at 1pm, putting on a sparkly green dress, her mum recalled. She had to get ready in bed. Her mum, Ashley Proctor, said, "It gave me chills," because Analisia looked so pretty. By 2pm a photographer was taking pictures of her. Her friends came over at about 2.30pm, and her date showed up in a tuxedo.
They all hung out by her bed in the Intensive Care Unit at Upstate Golisano in Syracuse. Analisia smiled through her pain and changed into a Hawaiian party dress while her date wore a flamingo outfit. She wanted her prom to be like an island party.
But at 4pm they had to stop because Analisia was tired and not feeling well. Sadly, Analisia passed away early in the morning on March 11 at Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital.
Her mother, Ashley Proctor, said Analisia was a "good kid" who worried more about others than herself (Syracuse.com/Youtube)Her mum is holding on to the happy pictures from her daughter's special "luau prom." She says Analisia was wise and taught everyone around her about life, even when she was very sick in the hospital. Before she died, Analisia told her family, "I want you to remember all the beautiful times we've had," and "the great life I've had."
When she was diagnosed, Analisia didn't shy away from the challenge. She cut off all her long hair before starting chemo, so she could be in charge, not the cancer. "Cutting her hair off is emblematic of Analisia's personality," said Dr. Gloria Kennedy. "She just took charge of her disease. She was not going to let it take her, she was going to be in control," reports Syracuse.com.
Analisia and Juliana as children in an old photo brought in by the mum (Courtesy of Ashley Proctor)Analisia was a great sister, always looking out for her twin, Juliana, and standing up to bullies. She liked running track and and always did extra work at school, her family told media. She wanted to help animals or become an FBI agent one day.
She volunteered at an animal shelter and learned about being a police officer with the Manlius Cadet Police Program. "She was always so full of life and so funny," her mum remembered. "Always so worried about everybody else."
Analisia Liedka, 17, had her prom the day before she passed away from cancer (Courtesy of Ashley Proctor)Proximal-type epithelioid sarcoma is an extremely rare form of cancer, accounting for far less than one percent of total cancers. It's typically seen in middle-aged people, not children, said Kennedy, an attending physician in Upstate's pediatric haematology and oncology program.
It's the first case Kennedy has seen in 32 years. To plan Analisia's treatment, she sought out national experts. But there's no stopping this type of cancer once it spreads. Chemotherapy bought Analisia a few extra weeks before the cancer continued to grow.
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Friends from Fayetteville-Manlius High School, family and Make-A-Wish threw her a Hawaiian-themed prom at the hospital (Courtesy of Ashley Proctor)Faced with impossible odds, Analisia kept an extraordinary attitude, her doctor said. "She really was a rock through all of this," Kennedy said. She was "what we refer to in peds oncology as an old soul. There was a lot of wisdom, acceptance, and a positive focus throughout her treatment."
Even in her final days, Analisia took charge over death, showing more concern for her family than herself. "This physical pain I'm feeling right now, I'm used to it and it's annoying," Analisia said from her hospital bed. "But the emotional pain you're going to go through is harder. I just need you to find a way to be happy without me again."