Olivia’s Story: High School Golfer Comes to Texas Children’s Hospital for Life-Saving Cancer Treatment

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

The most common form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma among adults, DLBCL is a very aggressive form of cancer that can arise in virtually any part of the body. The first symptoms are typically a rapidly growing mass that is associated with systemic B symptoms such as fever, weight loss and night sweats. In the US and UK, the annual incidence of DLBCL is about 7-8 cases per 100,000 annually, and it occurs most often in older people — the median age of diagnosis is around 70 years old.  

“It came out of nowhere,” says Dena. “Right away, they started chemotherapy. They did baseline lymphoma treatment and about four rounds of chemo, I believe. But the PET scans kept looking worse.”

PET scans, or positron emission tomography scans, are imaging tests that reveal the metabolic or biochemical functioning of the body’s tissues and organs. They are particularly useful for diseases like cancer.

“Eventually, Liv needed a bone marrow transplant, and they were trying to arrange that here in Colorado,” says Dena. “In late September, however, they did another PET scan and it showed that her cancer had spread. It was not responding to any of the chemo or any of the other treatments.”

The difference is life changing

Feeling desperate, Dena started doing research. She found Dr. Kenneth McClain at Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Center. A world-renowned cancer expert specializing in treatment of both children and adults with histiocytic disorders, Dr. McClain is the Co-Director of the Histiocytosis Program at Texas Children’s Hospital and Professor at Baylor College of Medicine.  

“Dr. McClain’s name kept coming up as the preeminent expert in the field,” said Dena. “And, believe it or not, he answers his own phone.”

Dena found his number online and called it. “Someone answered and said, ‘This is Dr. Kenneth McClain.’ I thought it was going to go beep, like it was a voicemail or something. I was so confused.”

“I don’t believe that people should have to go through five layers of filters to get to a doctor,” Dr. McClain told PGATour.com last March in an article about Olivia.

“I started rambling,” Dena told PGATour.com. “And he just—I’ll never forget—he said, ‘I’ll see her as soon as you can get here.’ So, we packed the car. She couldn’t fly. Her immune system was too weak, and we just packed the car and started driving.”

The drive from their home in rural Colorado to Houston was 17 hours long, and they made as few stops as possible. Olivia’s lymphoma was very aggressive, and she was extremely sick and weak.

The treatment

As it turned out, Olivia was born with a genetic mutation which causes HLH, but it didn’t reveal itself until she developed mono.

“It sort of percolated for a while,” Dr. McClain told PGATour.com. “And then she developed a true cancer…So, she really had three different diagnoses and she was really sick from that lymphoma and not responding as well as she needed to be. And so, that’s when the family came here.”

“There’s no doubt in my mind that we made the right call to come here,” Dena told PGATour.com. “It wasn’t working. We were losing the battle. When we got to Texas Children’s Hospital, Dr. McClain, he knew what to do and he reassured us that Olivia had an excellent chance of survival.”

Now, after 6 months of treatment and a successful bone marrow transplant in January 2025, Dr. McClain says that Olivia’s prognosis is very, very good. When asked about Texas Children’s and Dr. McClain—whom Olivia calls “St. McClain”—Olivia tears up. She says that Dr. McClain saved her life, and she’s grateful for Texas Children’s Hospital. “I have just grown up with the hospital,” she told PGATour.com. “This place is huge. It’s a magic place. I’m going to cry.”

“I’ve traveled all over the world,” Dena said. “Probably 20 countries. And I can tell you that my favorite place in the whole world is the Texas Medical Center. When we got here last October, we didn’t know what was going to happen. I was so scared we might lose Olivia. She was very, very sick. But Dr. McClain and Texas Children’s changed everything. If there’s one thing I want to say, it’s thank you. You saved my daughter’s life.”

Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Center

Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Center — one of the largest pediatric cancer centers in the United States — is ranked among the best in the nation. Its world-renowned staff of nearly 200 faculty and more than 1,000 employees pioneered many of the now-standard protocols for treating and curing pediatric cancer and blood disorders. Today, more than 80 percent of children diagnosed with cancer in the United States are successfully treated and cured — a remarkable improvement in outcomes.

In 2025, Texas Children’s Hospital announced a partnership with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Together, the two programs are launching Kinder Children’s Cancer Center with one mission: to end childhood cancer. This joint venture offers unprecedented opportunities to advance treatment and instill hope in families for a future without childhood cancer.

Learn more about Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Center.