Girl who had tumor, organs removed gets back to normal

Following a whirlwind tour of the morning television talk shows Wednesday, Heather McNamara spent her first full day home after lifesaving surgery doing what many children do.

The 7-year-old sat on the living room floor of her Islip Terrace home with her sister and her best friend, sipped a bowl of noodle soup and watched "Hannah Montana" on TV.

Heather faces months of medical checkups and a special diet after a team of Manhattan doctors last month removed six of her organs to eradicate an abdominal tumor, the size of a tennis ball. But yesterday she eased back into life at home, surrounded by stuffed dolls and flowers from friends and family.

"She has such a will," said Heather's mother, Tina. "She loves life - she lives life - to the absolute fullest."

Last month, doctors at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian in Manhattan removed Heather's small and large intestines, spleen, stomach, pancreas and liver during a 23-hour surgery. Her intestines and liver were reimplanted; the other organs were too damaged to be saved.

The surgery never had been performed before on a child anywhere in the world, doctors said. Heather's medical care was fully covered by insurance, her father, Joe McNamara, said.

Doctors don't know what caused Heather to get the rare inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor, her parents said.

Starting next week, Heather will have weekly checkups and frequent CT scans to make sure the cancer hasn't returned, her parents said. She receives insulin shots for diabetes and takes antibiotics to fight infections.

"Because this is new, because they've never done this surgery before, there may be some complications," Tina McNamara said.

Heather returned home Tuesday to a hero's greeting from neighbors and the Islip Terrace Fire Department, where her father, Joe, is a volunteer.

The family, including big sister Stephanie, 10, woke up at 3 a.m. yesterday and rode to Manhattan, where they appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America," CBS' "The Early Show" and NBC's "Today."

Heather brought home a stuffed dog and an American Girl doll - gifts from the TV shows. They join the stuffed giraffe she dubbed "Dr. Melvin," given to her by her parents before the operation.

In the afternoon, Heather was reunited with her best friend, Kylie McConnell, 7, who came over for a visit. Heather showed Kylie her new dolls and later they watched TV with Stephanie.

Yesterday also was a return home for Joe McNamara, who spent the past month living in the hospital with his daughter.

"The long road's over," he said. "We want her to be a happy and healthy little girl."