6-year-old Wacoan kicks kidney cancer

A 6-year-old is saying so long to the friends she's made at the McLane Children's Medical Center in Temple. It's a bittersweet goodbye after 8 months together.

Some of the toughest fighters come in the smallest packages and Paisley Jane Trojanowski is no exception. 

PJ was diagnosed with kidney cancer in January. Her parents, Eric and Melanie Trojanowski, were paralyzed when they heard the news.

"You never sit down and think about what it's going to feel like to find out that my 6-year-old has cancer," said Eric.

"I can go back to the moment," said Melanie. "But at the same time, I can't even remember what it felt like because it was such a shock. It was such a punch to the gut because we all know what cancer can mean."

The tumors covering PJ's body changed her life. Her day-to-day activities had to be carefully planned around surgeries, radiation and chemo.

"You realize that everything you were doing has to stop because your focus has to be keeping her alive," said Melanie.

After countless visits to two different hospitals, the Trojanowskis finally heard music to their ears. As of August, their little girl is officially cancer-free.

"She's in remission and now we get to start the rest of our lives again," said Eric.

"I think my heart started beating again," said Melanie. "I could take a full deep breath and feel relief."

PJ's weekly treatments are turning into monthly check-ups, which will eventually become an annual visit.

"We were talking one day and PJ asked me 'what if the cancer comes back' and I said 'it's something Mom and Dad will worry about,'" said Eric. "We're not going to spend the rest of our lives sitting around waiting for cancer to come back."

In honor of PJ's remission, the staff at McLane Children's specialty clinic showered her with confetti and gifts after she rang the bell inside the office. The bell is meant to let others know that yet another child has beat cancer. 

"It's a pretty amazing thing to go through and I'm glad she's as tough as she is," said Eric. "I've learned a lot from her."

The Trojanowskis plan to visit the creatures at SeaWorld to celebrate the good news. There's also a Make A Wish trip in the works. 

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