Niko’s new game plan: How the support of family, care team, and a facility dog is helping this sports-loving teen fight cancer
15-year-old Niko Rogina has been playing hockey since he was 3. “He had dreams of playing in the NHL someday,” said his mom, Heather.
When he overextended his knee during a game in February, his family played it safe and made sure he got a full work-up of scans and tests, including an MRI, to ensure he was ready to get back on the ice.
What they weren’t expecting to find was a 7-centimeter tumor on his femur.
“I just had this sinking feeling immediately, knowing his age and where the lesion was that it was probably osteosarcoma,” Heather said.
Things moved quickly after Niko was referred to M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital for further evaluation. First, orthopedic surgeon Denis Clohisy, MD, performed a surgical biopsy of the tumor which confirmed high-grade osteosarcoma – a type of bone cancer that typically affects long bones, like the arms and legs.
Thankfully, the cancer had not spread to any other parts of his body, but Niko would still have to take a break from playing hockey, the sport he loved the most. Niko started three rounds of chemotherapy to quiet the tumor’s growth and help attack any microscopic cancer cells in his body before it could be surgically removed.
That’s where the family met Erin Fritz, NP, a pediatric nurse practitioner who has supported the family since day one of treatment. Fritz helps with Niko’s chemotherapy and medication treatment plans. She also helps the family navigate any side effects.
“I’m there, first and foremost, to support these families going through a really difficult time,” Fritz said. “The thing about pediatric cancer is that I don’t just have one patient, I’m caring for the whole family.”
With support from his care team, Niko made it through his first rounds of chemo and was ready to take the next step in his journey: surgery.
Limb-preserving surgery
On July 5, Clohisy performed what’s known as “limb-preserving surgery,” which removes the tumor and replaces part of Niko’s femur and all of his knee with titanium. The goal is to avoid any potential regrowth of the tumor.
“I know there’s been hard moments and obviously, Niko doesn’t want to be on this path at all. But he just keeps marching on which has been really cool to see,” Fritz said.
Surgery was particularly difficult for Niko especially since it meant he could no longer withstand playing a high-intensity sport like hockey, Heather said. But he was able to keep his positive mindset thanks to his family and because of a special bond he formed with Inka, one of our hospital’s facility dogs.
“During those first few weeks of treatment, Inka would come in for visits and those would be the rare moments I saw Niko smile throughout this whole process,” Heather said. “It brought tears to my eyes.”
Inka works in tandem with her handler and child life specialist, Sam Bonner. Inka’s special training makes her suited to work in a healthcare setting, providing therapeutic interventions like helping kids prepare for a medical procedure or being a calming presence during a difficult moment.
In Niko’s case, Inka was a huge motivator for him to get out of bed and start walking after surgery.
“Sam and Inka have been instrumental in helping us get through this,” Heather said. “Our entire care team has been phenomenal.”
Looking forward to “ringing the bell”
After a few more rounds of chemotherapy, Niko will be done with treatment. This huge milestone includes “ringing the bell” – a special ritual at our hospital for patients and families to celebrate the end of their treatment journey.
“It’s an outward sign of success and a way to honor what they have been through as a family,” said Fritz. “While we acknowledge this can also be a bittersweet time for families as many of them can have anxiety about recurrence rates, it doesn’t take away the joy of ringing that bell and being there for that exciting moment.”
He will continue to get scans every three months after treatment for a few years to make sure the cancer hasn’t returned.
“Never in a million years would I ever have thought my healthy, active, child who just entered high school, would be diagnosed with cancer. It can happen to anyone’s child unfortunately. It happened to mine,” Heather said. “It wasn’t that long ago that a child with Nikos diagnosis and tumor location would have lost their limb. But thanks to the research that has been done on osteosarcoma and leg preservation surgeries, Niko was able to keep his leg. Childhood cancer awareness and funding and research is essential in order to continue to make strides in treatment options for these kids.”
Niko and his family are also finding ways to look ahead, remaining cautiously optimistic about the future. Still a sports fan, Niko has turned his attention toward golf while being forever grateful for the support and love he’s received along the way.
“The support and love and prayers we have received throughout this process, not just from friends and family, but from people we don’t even know, near and far, it’s been absolutely humbling,” Heather said tearfully. " There are so many people in the world that care about others they don’t even know.”
