'I'd rather be in traffic': Viral TikTok shines light on local boy's cancer battle

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Stuck in traffic on the Washington Bridge. Could you imagine anything worse?

That’s what Shana Luciano asked her TikTok followers over the weekend while filming a bird’s-eye view of bumper-to-bumper cars on I-95.

A little “yeah” could be heard in the background. When she turned the camera, it revealed her two-year-old son Maverick in a hospital bed at Hasbro Children’s Hospital.

"What?" she asked him.

“I don’t know,” Maverick replied, giggling.

Luciano said that moment provided a dose of comedic relief during a deeply difficult time.

"I remember sitting in this traffic and complaining about it all the time, and look where I am now," she said. "I kind of would rather be in that traffic."

Fighting cancer

On April 28, Maverick began experiencing extreme pain before bed. Initially, doctors suspected constipation, but X-rays and treatments yielded little result, and the pain increased.

After several tests and an MRI in the emergency room, Maverick was diagnosed with Stage 3 Wilms tumor, a rare kidney cancer that primarily affects children.

Dr. Rishi Lulla, division director of pediatric hematology-oncology at Hasbro, said fewer than 1,000 cases are diagnosed in the U.S. each year.

While it's rare, Wilms tumor is the most common type of kidney cancer in children, which has allowed for more research and exploration into how to cure it.

"We see several patients each year diagnosed with Wilms at Hasbro, and we work together with a cooperative group around the country to try and determine the very best way to treat them," Lulla explained.

Treatment typically involves surgery, followed by a few days of radiation therapy and months of chemotherapy. Wilms tumor often presents itself with common symptoms like abdominal pain, constipation or swelling on one side of the abdomen.

Maverick’s treatment plan is expected to span 39 weeks. He has already undergone surgery to remove the tumor and completed six radiation sessions.

He’s now in the chemotherapy phase to eliminate any remaining cancer cells — and, according to his family, he’s "crushing it.”

'Power in perspective'

In the midst of what Luciano calls “every parent’s worst nightmare,” she said they’ve chosen to focus on positivity.

“People call him the mayor of the clinic, because he knows everyone,” said Laura Moynihan, a clinical social worker at Hasbro who met Maverick on the day he was diagnosed. “He’s always bouncing between the playroom and whichever room he’s in.”

Moynihan said her team takes a holistic approach to treatment, addressing patients’ emotional and social needs in addition to the lifesaving medical care they receive.

"Anytime a family hears their child has cancer, for many, it's the hardest day of their lives," she said. "I want them to know there are team members who are there to help support them along the way ... and that they are not alone or isolated in this."

She added that the family’s openness in sharing their story is invaluable in helping others better understand what life is like for families facing pediatric cancer.

"This is one of those worlds you never know exists until you're a part of it," Moynihan said.

Maverick will be able to go home Tuesday night after "Good Night Lights," a nightly Rhode Island tradition which involves shining a light toward the children's hospital for patients to see before bedtime.

Since Luciano posted the video, it has gained more than a million views. Ultimately, she hopes it inspires people to slow down and not lose sight of what’s important.

"Try to change your perspective on life because that's the most powerful thing we can do to be happy in situations that really aren't great," she said. "There's just a lot of power in perspective."

And, she added, things could always be worse than being stuck in traffic.