Scarlett the brave

COLDWATER - The community is rallying behind a sick little Coldwater girl with signs, benefits and fundraisers as well as bracelets touting "Scarlett the Brave."

Scarlett Unrast was diagnosed in September with Stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma, a form of childhood cancer that starts in certain primitive nerve cells in an embryo or fetus. When she was first diagnosed, her tumor was about the size of a baseball, and Scarlett had growths on her aorta and inferior vena cava, as well as the adrenal glands above her kidneys.

Lindsey Un-
rast, Scarlett's mother, noted her daughter had recently spent her second birthday in the hospital, calling Scarlett her brave little girl.

"She's quite the trooper. She has her days, like the last time we did chemo - the chemo kind of gets stronger as you go through this - and she had some nausea and stuff, but she was up and playing," she said.

Leisa Pearson describes her granddaughter as an active ray of sunshine who lights up any room she enters. Pearson recounted how she was running errands and enjoying the coming of fall, her favorite season, when she received a call from her daughter Lindsey.

The little girl hadn't been feeling well; her mother had noticed her daughter was having night sweats and had started pointing at her stomach and saying it hurt amid bouts of squealing.

Scarlett was taken to her pediatrician, who sent her to Dayton Children's Hospital for a pediatric abdominal ultrasound. Pearson recalls driving Lindsey and Scarlett there, thinking her granddaughter might have to undergo surgery for a blocked bowel but that their family would pull through.

"Hours later while playing with Scarlett in the waiting room I could hear Lindsey scream while talking to our pediatrician," Pearson wrote in a letter telling the story. "There is nothing worse than for a mother to see one of her children in pain, and that is precisely what happened."

The technician had spotted fingers of a tumor wrapping around the little girl's aorta, which was cause for suspicion. She was rushed into the ER - gowned, IV inserted, lab tests drawn and x-rays taken. Later, it was confirmed: Scarlett Unrast had been diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer.

"The hospital chaplain had come to talk to us offering prayers and any assistance that we might need. I begged God it be me rather than her," Pearson wrote. "I remember notifying my husband, and he swore I was just upset and confused. 'Don't go drawing conclusions. Wait until we meet with her primary oncologist.' "

Scarlett spent the next few days undergoing more testing, double infusaport insertion and biopsies. Her older sister, Praline, 7, was taken in by Lindsey's brother Seth Pearson.

"It's hard because it's usually me and my two girls in my house, and I think the best medicine for Scarlett is her sister. It's just when she has the sniffles or has a cold, we kind of have to keep them apart," Lindsey Unrast explained.

Pearson said that after receiving the diagnosis, she couldn't speak or think, and she didn't know what to tell her daughter. Instantly, her mind started to wonder - had they missed a sign that she'd been ill? The oncologist assured them symptoms could be similar to common childhood illnesses, and they should be thankful the pediatrician ordered the ultrasound and that the technician was able to find the growth.

The little girl's neuroblastoma was also found in her bone marrow which puts her in a high-risk category, so she will have a regimen of chemotherapy, surgery, stem-cell transplants and radiation therapy. Much depends upon how Scarlett handles her treatment. Her primary oncologist said the little girl has lots of energy, which would be needed.

Pearson says the family also will need God and prayers the most.

"We need God to wrap his arms around Scarlett and lay his hands on the oncologists, surgeons, nurses, caregivers, family, friends and community to help guide us on this journey."

Since her initial diagnosis, Scarlett has finished four rounds of chemo, had blood transfusions, accomplished her stem-cell harvest at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, has had one ovary collected and received platelets.

Her oncologists recently reported that Scarlett's tumor had shrunk by 50 percent and her latest bone marrow biopsy had come back clear. Still, she has a long way to go and will start her fifth round of chemotherapy Christmas week.

The family has had countless people - friends, family, community members - reach out, asking about Scarlett. Churches have said members are praying for Scarlett and want to help in any way they can.

A fundraiser for Scarlett will be held from 5-7 p.m. Sunday at Bethany United Methodist Church, 416 E. Wayne St., Celina. It will include a spaghetti dinner, baked goods sale, professional family photographs and music by George "Erastus" Moore. All proceeds will go toward Scarlett's treatment.

"People always seem to hear the corrupt news in the world today, but let me tell you there are so many good people out there and I wish I could hug every one of you," Pearson wrote.

"We want to thank all who have helped us thus far especially Children's Hospital physicians and staff, our immediate families, Scarlett the Brave volunteer members, Cooper Farms, Mercer County Cancer Society, Mercer County Facial Hair Club, Brew Nation and Precision Strip for their fundraising efforts. Thanks to those who have sent gifts of any sort. When you receive so many get-well cards, it is so heartening. I cannot tell you how much it means."

Pearson also thanked Coldwater Exempted Village Schools members, including administrators, faculty, students, groups, clubs and athletes along with Praline's teacher and bus driver who help her feel more normal.

Pearson asks that during the Christmas season, people pray for Scarlett and Lindsey. She's proud of Lindsey for managing to look at the bright side, even on the darkest of days, and for being able to handle the extra care Scarlett needs.

"If you can imagine how many children and families that are battling illnesses that could use an extra prayer, it would be nice to include them. Christmas is the time for miracles, and I know I will be praying for one," Pearson said.

Unrast said a group of volunteers had formed a Scarlett the Brave committee dedicated to fundraising for Scarlett's treatment. People can donate to its account at the Peoples Bank in Coldwater.

People also can join the "Scarlett the Brave" Facebook group to stay up to date.

Fundraiser set:

When: 5-7 p.m. Sunday

Where: Bethany United Methodist Church, 416 E. Wayne St., Celina

What: Spaghetti dinner, professional family photos and a baked goods sale starting at 5 p.m. Music by George "Erastus" Moore at 6 p.m.