Sarah's Hemangioma Story

When Sarah was 2 months old I noticed that her right cheek felt a little lumpy, and appeared to have a small "bruise" on it. And with a closer look I noticed that her face appeared to be asymmetrical. After a visit with our pediatrician and then a visit to a specialist, Dr. Sherry Bayliff, at UK and an ultrasound, Sarah had a confirmed diagnosis of a deep hemangioma. Due to it's location they wanted to be sure it was not interfering in her airway or her ears, and to our delight it was not.

Hemangiomas are benign (non-cancerous) vascular tumors composed of cells that normally line the blood vessels. They are the most common tumor of childhood, occurring in up to 10% of infants. Hemangiomas have a period of growth, which is referred to as their proliferative phase. This is followed by a period of shrinkage, referred to as their involutive phase. Most hemangiomas begin their proliferative (growth) phase shortly after birth. This phase usually lasts for 4 to 6 months, but can be longer or shorter. Each lesion has its own growth timetable. The involutive phase is much slower and can take as long as ten years. It is difficult to predict how long this shrinkage process will last. Deep hemangiomas are located beneath the surface of the skin and are characterized by a bluish lump or mass.

Since April of last year Sarah and I have made many trips to see Dr. Bayliff, each time also having an ultrasound to observe the amount of blood flow and measure the size of her hemangioma. Her hemangioma is about 3 cm in length (about he size of a golf ball) along her right jaw line. As the hemangioma has ended the growth phase it has become more colorful, very much like a bruise. We are waiting for the involution phase to begin, but according to the preliminary read of the ultrasound from last week, there doesn't appear to be a decrease in blood flow yet. So we wait.

We have been given options to intervene in it's growth and procedures to speed up the start of the involution phase. But so far have opted to let nature take it's course. (Hemangiomas will go away all on their own.)

When she was real little people used to comment on her cute chubby cheeks (not realizing the other cheek wasn't so chubby). As she has slimmed down and lost that chubby baby look, people notice what appears to be swelling and the bruised appearance and ask what happened. I politely respond, "nothing, it's a hemangioma. She was born with it and it will go away on it's own." I'm so glad people ask, and don't just stare. The other kids (Liz, Rachel & John), never even knew there was anything wrong with Sarah's cheek until they heard me talking to someone one day.


After all our visits to the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic I am grateful that all we are dealing with is a hemangioma and it a fairly simple one at that. A little discoloration and one cheek that is "chubbier" than the other don't stop Sarah from being full of energy and curious about the world.