At the All-City Swim Meet, one 7-year-old is fighting a rare battle

Jul 31, 2010 — The Wisconsin State Journal

Brandon Storlie

Jul. 31, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Drying off after his first race of the day, Riley Nelson clung shyly to his mother's leg, pressing his face against her in a manner common to 7-year-olds.

Minutes before, as he dived into the pool Friday morning at Hill Farm Swim Club as part of the 49th annual All-City Swim Meet, that's exactly what he looked like: a typical 7-year-old.

"You'd never know," Sharel Nelson said of the medical roller coaster her son has been on since last summer. "You'd never know, watching him in the pool right now."

She is one of the few people who truly understand just how atypical the last 13 months of Riley's life have been.

About a month after his sixth birthday, Sharel and her husband Dan noticed their son was having trouble breathing. After a few days, Riley's respiratory distress was severe enough to warrant a trip to the hospital for X-rays.

"It sounded like the worst asthma attack you've ever heard, combined with croup," Sharel said. "I looked at my husband and said, 'He's dying. We've got to do something.' "

Surgery on July 1, 2009, removed an obstruction the size of a garbanzo bean from Riley's airway. Initial indications suggested the growth was benign, and Riley was released from the hospital the next day.

"He went home a day later and was swimming in the pool (at Shorewood Hills) two days after that," Sharel said. "We thought we were good, you know?"

Then in October, when Riley returned to the doctor for a post-surgery visit, pathology results on the growth indicated something was amiss. During a follow-up appointment in February, Sharel and Dan were horrified to find out their son's tumor had returned.

When further tests came back in March, Riley was diagnosed with alveolar soft part sarcoma, a very rare cancer that generally arises in children or young adults. In fact, the disease is so rare that estimates put the number of new cases as low as 15 per year nationwide.

"They've never seen it in a 7-year-old child," Sharel said. "It means there aren't a lot of answers. We're writing the book."

After a third surgery earlier this month to remove a granuloma, Riley was finally able to turn his attention to matters more befitting of a soon-to-be second-grader's attention.

Namely, swimming.

But there was another problem. Having competed in just two of the three swim meets required to attend All-City, post-surgical cases of pneumonia and mononucleosis sidelined Riley dangerously close to this weekend's competition. Fortunately, he received the medical "all-clear" just in time to compete in Shorewood's final home meet and become eligible.

"It's awesome," Dan Nelson said of watching his son compete at Hill Farm this weekend. "It gives me goose bumps. It's been a really tough year."

So far, Riley has managed to avoid the radiation and more extensive surgery he will require if the cancer returns.

Friday morning, his mind was on the afternoon's race. When asked whether he thought he would win his heat in the 25-meter breaststroke, a simple nod was sufficient.

It's that kind of confidence and 7-year-old fearlessness that has seen Riley to where he is today.

"He gets here to warm-ups, and he's never dove off a starting block, ever," Sharel said. "He gets there and jumps up on the blocks that are higher than any blocks I've ever seen and dives into the pool.

"It's a lot (about) inner competition right now."

Newstex ID: KRTB-0219-47488619