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Something was off. He wasn’t acting like the rambunctious little boy he was, he wasn’t eating much, and he was as lethargic as he was when he’d catch a cold.
But then Hines Rotriga quit walking, and he didn’t know how to explain his pain to his parents.
“At that point he was only saying a few words, so he really couldn’t tell us what was wrong, but we could tell after a couple days that it was something more than a bad cold,” his mother, Debbie Rotriga, said. “It was on Dec. 23 when we knew we had to do something more than what we were doing to try to make him feel better, but we didn’t expect what took place that night.”
On this day six years ago, he went to the emergency room, and that proved to be the first step in a plethora of processes to get Hines to his current “No Signs” status. Today, he is 8 years old, and in first grade at St. Michael’s School, he’s not taking any medications at this time, and needs only to travel to New York City for scans every six months.
“No Signs” has been his reality for three years.
“We’re blessed right now,” Debbie said. “He’s excited for Santa.”
The Magic of Christmas
At first, the best guess before test results were returned was that he was suffering from an untreated virus of some sort, but then Hines was quickly transferred to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown. That’s where more tests revealed a need for a biopsy of a mass resting behind his right ear.
“And when they found the mass behind his ear, they said that if it was there, it had to be somewhere else, too,” Debbie recalled. “That’s when they found the mass in his abdomen, and that’s where all of this began.
“It was New Year’s Day 2014, when he started his chemotherapy, and his treatments went from there. That was just heartbreaking to see this little boy who should have been the happiest, but was so miserable and so sad,” she said. “When we took him to the hospital in the very beginning, I didn’t think anything about cancer. I really didn’t even consider cancer as a possibility, but there was some new problem he had each day for a few days, and when he quit walking, we knew there was something.”
Sleepless nights, restless test days, and the compassionate comforting of a little boy who really knew nothing else about life other than feeling deathly ill became her and her husband’s existence. Now that he’s feeling well and becoming more aware of the trauma he’s experienced, Hines wishes to be just a normal kid dreaming of what Santa Claus will leave under the Rotriga tree.
“Christmas is a pretty special day in our house because it was just before Christmas back in 2013 when he was initially diagnosed. So, Christmas time is a very special time for me, my husband, and our entire family,” Debbie explained. “We do still worry a lot; I’m not going to lie. That’ll likely never go away, really, because of what we’ve been through. I can still remember that day even though it’s that long ago, but the fear we felt at first is something that will be with us for a very long time, if not forever.
“The worst thoughts go through your head when you see your little boy in that much pain,” she continued. “You want to trade places with him. You want to feel it for him so he can sleep or smile again. But to see him be able to be a little boy like he’s supposed to be is the best gift in the world.”
He’s a Real Boy
He likes gym class, and even math at St. Michael’s, and Hines has started to take drum lessons so he can do more than just bang on his set in the family’s TV room. He’s ticklish, and no longer does he have to guard a port since it’s removal a while back.
Hines is sassy, and he’s classy because he’s been reminded many times over to thank those who have helped him the past six years. Each Spring since, in fact, Quaker Steak & Lube has held “Hope for Hines” fundraisers, and thousands of others have offered the childhood cancer victim their donations. Goodness, his aunt and uncle, Laura and Dave Rotriga, transformed their business, Miklas Meat Market, into the “Hope for Hines” headquarters.
His smiles these days make it worth it.
“He has been doing so well that we try not to worry about the little minor things like the sniffles or stomach aches,” Debbie admitted. “But seeing him happy does help us, and it does let some of those memories fade a little. But I think we’re guarded, and I think we’ll be that way for a pretty long time.
“The doctors have spaced out his tests a bit, and now he has scans every six months, and there are good reasons for that,” she said. “He does have hearing aids now because all of it has affected his ears, but I think he’s getting used to them. We all know, though, secondary cancers can hit him, and even the neuroblastoma can come back. Once you have been through what this little boy has been through, a mother and a father can’t take anything for granted.”
So, Hines, how are you feeling?
“Good.”
Are you feeling a lot better these days?
“Yup. A lot.”
Are you ready for Christmas?
“Oh yeah.”
Do you have your presents for your mom and dad?
“I think so.”
Did you write a letter to Santa Claus?
“Yes.”
(In his letter to Santa, which was read on The Watchdog (98.1 FM WKKX and 97.7 FM WVLY) during the radio network’s annual, “Letters to Santa” segments, Hines asked for Match Box cars and for all the children in the hospital right now to feel better.)
Think you’ll get what’s was on your list?
“Of course.”
Why? Have you been a good boy this year?
“Yes, I am a good boy.”
