By Stephanie Earls
The Gazette
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Joshua Salmoiraghi, 4, was at Children’s Hospital Colorado for his final round of chemotherapy on Saturday and Sunday in Aurora. Salmoiraghi was diagnosed with Stage IV kidney cancer in 2017, and it returned in early 2018.
Joshua Salmoiraghi was 3 when he was diagnosed with Wilms tumor, the most common type of childhood kidney cancer. After surgery to remove a tumor and one of his kidneys last year, Joshua underwent what initially was thought to have been a successful round of chemotherapy and radiation.
But in January, a month after they were told that the youngest of their three sons was in remission, Amanda and Joseph Salmoiraghi learned that Joshua’s cancer was not only still there, but also was at stage 4. He would need more treatment, with stronger drugs.
Days before his second, six-month round of chemotherapy was set to begin at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora, 4-year-old Joshua was sworn in as an honorary officer at a special mid-April ceremony at the Colorado Springs Police Department.
Some of the officers who attended that event were on hand Sunday for another special gathering honoring Joshua, who celebrated his final chemotherapy session amid family, friends and hospital staff with a 1 p.m. ringing of the “Warrior Bell” at Children’s Hospital.
Joshua is scheduled to undergo a course of radiation treatment in the coming weeks, after which the family will learn whether the cancer is in remission.
“We’re hoping it never comes back. Never, ever, ever,” said Joseph Salmoiraghi.
The Gazette has been following the Salmoiraghi family’s journey since April.
The photo essay and story chronicling their experiences will be published in December.
©2018 The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)