FORT MYERS, Fla. — A six-year-old Collier County girl’s battle with cancer has come to a sweet ending.
In celebration of her last treatment, family, doctors, nurses, and Mayor Randall Henderson gathered at the Golisano Children’s Hospital in Fort Myers.
Sarai experienced excruciating pain in her pelvis on Thanksgiving weekend in 2018.
After emergency surgery, doctors found a cancerous tumor and diagnosed her with stage four of the disease.
But today, we celebrate a victory.
“My hair is coming back...because I’m done with cancer,” said Sarai Salinas-Hernandez.
She underwent radiation treatment, chemotherapy, and countless visits back and forth to the hospital. Her family has remained strong through it all.
“You want to die at the same moment, but thank God the doctor helped us and they had a cure,” said Sarai’s mother, Adella Salinas.
Sarai had to miss her kindergarten year. Most six-year-olds are making friends and learning the alphabet, unfortunately, this was not the case for young Sarai.
“They are incredibly resilient. Even when she was in the most miserable of pain, her mom found a way to see the good side of things,” said Dr. Craig MacArthur.
Mayor Henderson and Sarai have a special bond; in September she shaved his head at Clips for Cancer.
“So to have that sparkle come back into their eyes and facial expressions, you really can’t put a price on that, ” said Mayor Henderson.
After battling this disease for over a year, today she is finally cancer-free.
“Free cancer…free cancer,” said Sarai Salinas-Hernandez.
Sarai’s victory reminds us that there is always a rainbow at the end of every storm.
