3-YEAR-OLD MICA WAS ALREADY BATTLING RARE BRAIN TUMOR ATRT WHEN SHE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH AML TOO, LEAVING HER FAMILY FACING TWO CANCERS AT ONCE

Florencia “Mica” Saucedo has endured a journey no child should have to face.

At just three years old, Mica was navigating treatment for ATRT (Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor) when another devastating diagnosis changed her family’s journey once again.

It all began when Mica’s parents, Rebecca and Fred, noticed that one side of their little girl’s face appeared slightly different. Doctors discovered a 12mm by 16mm tumor in her brain, beginning a long and difficult chapter for the family.

Mica underwent surgery and treatment, but the tumor later returned.

By January, she needed another operation to remove it. A month later, she went through 28 rounds of radiation, completing the treatment on March 26.

Then came another major procedure.

In April, Mica underwent her third craniotomy. But only a month later, doctors found another tumor in her spine, confirming yet another relapse.

The little girl continued forward, undergoing 10 rounds of focal proton radiation for the spinal tumor before beginning chemotherapy under the MEMMAT protocol. She completed radiation on June 7.

Despite everything, there were moments of hope.

By January, scans showed no new tumors. The tumors in her internal auditory canals remained stable, a tumor in her brachium pontis was no longer visible, and her spine continued to look clear.

Mica had already undergone radiation three separate times.

But then her family received another unexpected blow.

Blood tests in January revealed Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) — meaning that at only three years old, Mica was now facing two different cancers at the same time.

Further scans in February showed two new tumors in her brain. Her medical team planned to first clear the leukemia before moving forward with proton radiation for the brain tumors.

Then, on March 16, Mica was admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit because of respiratory problems.

She would spend more than 100 days in the hospital.

For Rebecca and Fred, the long hospital stay meant countless difficult days, but also countless reasons to keep hoping for their little girl.

And then came a moment her family will never forget.

On the very day Mica turned four, she was released from the PICU.

After more than 100 days under intensive hospital care, the little birthday girl had finally taken another step forward.

Mica is now in a regular hospital unit, where she continues her treatments surrounded by the people who have stood beside her throughout every surgery, every round of treatment and every uncertain scan.

Her journey is far from over. But on her fourth birthday, Mica gave her family something precious: a reason to celebrate.

For a little girl who has already faced more medical challenges than most people could imagine, simply reaching that birthday — and leaving the PICU on the same day — marked a deeply meaningful milestone.

And for her family, Mica remains their little warrior, taking her journey one day, one treatment and one milestone at a time.

Source: Instagram