Girl Diagnosed with Cancer Years After Dad’s Cancer Diagnosis (Exclusive)

• Dan Wilson was diagnosed with Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer at age 34
• At the time of his diagnosis, his oldest daughter Frankie was 5 years old, and started advocating for cancer awareness
• In 2024, Frankie began developing neck pain and ongoing stomach issues, which led her parents to seek further medical advice
• In July, doctors confirmed that Frankie has Ewing sarcoma, a rare malignant tumor that primarily affects children and young adults

Frankie Wilson was only 5 years old when her father, Dan, a non-smoker, was diagnosed with Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer at age 34.

His wife, Brittany, recalls it to PEOPLE as the scariest time of her life. Dan was not only her high school sweetheart and best friend but also the father of their two young daughters, Francesca “Frankie” and Georgia. Dan’s treatment included radiation and a chemo pill, which he has been taking for five years. The pill has minimal side effects for Dan, so Brittany says that if you were to meet him, you would never know he has lung cancer.

When Dan, a compliance auditor, was diagnosed in February 2019, he and Brittany sat down with Frankie, now 10, to explain the situation. They assured her that cancer was not something she could catch and that people would be coming in and out to help. Georgia, now 7, was too young to fully grasp what was happening, so they only introduced her to the concept of cancer.

Little did the parents know that Georgia would grow up in a family where cancer would become normalized.

The next week at school in Pennsylvania, Frankie immediately shared the news with her classmates. She approached the first person she saw and said, “My daddy has cancer. We need to pray for him.” Later, during lunch, she grabbed a microphone to ask everyone to pray for her father.

Since then, Brittany tells PEOPLE that Frankie has been the “best little lung cancer advocate,” helping the family run their nonprofit, Links for Lungs, to raise money for cancer research.

“She’s been involved in all our events,” says Brittany, a 37-year-old teacher. “She helps host lemonade stands every year and participates in our golf outing. She’s always front and center, doing what she can to help others and wanting to be a part of it. Her personality has made something difficult easier, just because of who she is. She embraces everything with her spunky spirit.”

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But everything changed in February 2024.

Five years after Dan’s cancer diagnosis, Brittany, who was pregnant with their now-5-month-old daughter Eloise, remembers Frankie and Georgia both come down with strep throat. Frankie was prescribed medication, but because she is allergic to amoxicillin, she was given an alternative.

Frankie, who also has anxiety and is on medication for it, began to complain of stomach pain, which was initially attributed to the new medication and her anxiety. When her symptoms persisted, the family consulted doctors, who concurred that it was likely a side effect of her meds.

As May approached, Frankie’s symptoms worsened. Her anxiety increased, and she began to struggle with school and sports, showing signs of being slower on the field and less enthusiastic about her activities. Complaints of neck pain and ongoing stomach issues led her parents to seek further medical advice, considering possible diagnoses such as PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections) or even scoliosis.

“The last two weeks of school, and once school was over, we noticed that her neck pain was almost intolerable,” Brittany says. “She was taking Advil and Tylenol constantly and had a limited range of motion.”

“She didn’t want to hang out with her friends,” her mom adds. “When we were at the beach, she would be out with her friends and then ask us to tell her friends that she couldn’t play anymore because she was in so much pain. She wanted to come back inside and sleep more. So finally, we realized, ‘Okay, we need to do something.’ ”

One week in July, while the family was at the beach, Dan, now 40, decided to take Frankie to the emergency room in Cape May, N.J., after Frankie told them the pain was “radiating down her arms and back.” Imaging revealed a mass in her neck. The family was then transported to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and admitted to the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit). Within a few days, doctors confirmed that Frankie had Ewing sarcoma, a rare malignant tumor that primarily affects children and young adults.

“We were in shock; no one told us initially that it was potentially cancer,” Brittany says. “We informed the doctors about my husband’s background and asked if it was related, but they said it wasn’t — just a case of bad luck.”

“We were stunned, thinking, ‘How could this happen when we’ve already been dealing with Dan’s diagnosis, and now we have to face this with our 10-year-old?’ The prospect of her undergoing chemotherapy and radiation was both shocking and devastating. It still is,” Brittany continues.

She says for her husband, the news of their daughter’s diagnosis hit differently.

“Despite the doctors, he still thinks that maybe it has something to do with him and a connection between his cancer and hers,” she says.

Doctors informed Dan and Brittany that they would need to place a port for Frankie’s chemotherapy imminently. Initially, they planned to wait for more information before telling Frankie what was happening, but the urgency of starting treatment made that impossible.

With the help of Brittany’s parents and a child life specialist, the couple sat on the hospital bed with their daughter and explained that they had found the reason for her neck pain.

“We told her there was a mass. She responded with, ‘Okay,’ and then I told her, ‘It’s cancer,’ ” Brittany recalls. “She looked at me in disbelief and said, ‘No, no.’ I started crying, and my husband was crying too. She kept saying, ‘No, no, I don’t have cancer.’ ”

“She asked if it was lung cancer, and we told her it wasn’t. Within a few minutes of finding out, she wanted to call Summer, one of our lung cancer friends. Despite being devastated and upset, Frankie managed to advocate for herself and share her story. I thought that was really powerful.”

When Frankie learned about her diagnosis, one of her first questions was whether she would lose her hair. She decided to have a party where everyone would help cut her hair before she shaved it off.

“That was really hard, but she did it. She hated it for about 24 hours, but then she adjusted,” Brittany says. “She just takes everything in stride. Even when she’s angry, she’s positive. She tries to lift others. She talks to her friends about her diagnosis and immediately asks if they have any questions. She meets others with cancer during her treatments and offers encouragement, whether it’s about hair loss, feeding tubes or nutrition.”

Since Frankie’s diagnosis, doctors have outlined a treatment plan that will span seven to nine months. This includes chemotherapy and radiation, followed by more chemotherapy. There is also a possibility of surgery to remove the tumor from her neck.

Although Frankie is still in the early days of treatment, Brittany says it’s been difficult to watch. In the beginning, she noticed her daughter would get upset with her and say, “Well, you don’t know what cancer feels like. Daddy does.”

“I know she didn’t mean to hurt me, but at least she felt like she had someone who understood her,” Brittany says. “It is really difficult seeing your kids sick and feeling powerless to help them. Watching them lose their hair is heartbreaking.”

Having gone through cancer treatment with her husband, Brittany realizes that while it’s incredibly challenging, sharing their story is important. With the help of her family, she decided to post about their cancer journey on TikTok and Instagram. Since posting, she has noticed that more people have come forward and commented about how they feel comfortable reaching out for help when they need it.

“It’s hard to share your story, but I feel like the more you share, the more vulnerable you are, the more people understand you,” she says. “People say I’m strong, but that’s because I don’t only show my strength; I show my vulnerability too. Posting, though difficult, was a way for me to have an outlet rather than keeping everything inside. By sharing, I hoped to help someone or find support for myself. Seeing so many people be supportive was both affirming and overwhelming. It was heartwarming to see that so many people care about my family and my daughter, even though they haven’t met them. It just makes our village even bigger.”

“It’s been a whirlwind of emotions,” Brittany adds. “Everything feels like it’s spinning in my head. If you were to talk to anyone in my life or family, they’d say I’m probably the strongest person they’ve ever met. But that’s because I’m really good at holding my emotions in to be strong for everyone else. I have to be.”