PITTSBURGH -- Kaleena Hudon, a 25-year-old Canadian stricken with cancer, is in Pittsburgh for a grueling procedure that she hopes will help save her life and allow her new daughter to know her.
"This is my best option, so if that's what it takes to stay around for my baby girl, then that's what I'll do," Hudon said by phone on Monday, before making her trip. "Hopefully, maybe, she'll remember me if I don't last, but I'd like to be here and see her grow up."
Doctors first discovered a cancerous mole on the Winnipeg, Manitoba, native's arm a few years ago.
There were no further complications until two months after her daughter was born, when doctors found it had spread to Hudon's lymph nodes, stomach, lungs, chest, arms and neck.
"It showed that I had tumors all over and the cancer was in all my lymph nodes and that I was at stage four. There was nothing they could do. They couldn't do surgery. It had spread too much," said Hudon.
VIDEO - 
Watch The StoryHudon said the only procedure that may help in her fight was pioneered at the Hillman Cancer Center in Shadyside and is not offered in Canada.
"This is a life-threatening disease. This is a disease, which unchecked, is likely to take her life," said Dr. John Kirkwood, director of the Melanoma Center at the Hillman Cancer Center.
As a result, Hudon traveled to Pittsburgh on Wednesday with her husband and 6-month-old girl, Hailey Renee, to get Interleukin 2, a natural part of the immune system that activates the growth of immune cells to fight the cancer.
Hudon will receive up to 14 doses of Interleukin 2 during her month-long stay in Pittsburgh.
"This is really as hard a treatment to give and support patients through as we have ever developed," said Kirkwood.
The treatment will be grueling, but Hudon said if it allows her to watch her daughter grow up for awhile longer, it will be worth it.
"She's just almost learning to crawl. She just got her first tooth, and so many other firsts that I'd really like to see," Hudon said. "I just want to stick around as long as I can. She's still little, she's got a long way to grow. I love her too much to lose her that quickly."
A big hockey fan, Hudon said this is her first time visiting Pittsburgh and the Penguins have arranged for her to watch a game at Mellon Arena while she's here.
While her health insurance is covering costs of the medical procedure, Hudon is trying to raise money to help her afford the trip and lodging and expenses during her month-long stay in Pittsburgh.
Those wishing to support Hudon can do so by making a donation at a Web site called "Dreaming's Not Enough" --
www.DreamingsNotEnough.ca.
UPDATE:
Many readers of ThePittsburghChannel.com have reached out to offer Hudon and her family a place to stay in Pittsburgh and some tickets to a Penguins game.
VIDEO - Watch Michelle Wright's Latest Interview With Kaleena Hudon."I had people offer their homes, people offer air miles to fly us down -- their support and PayPal donations. Everybody's just incredible. It's all people I don't know. I get messages on Facebook, 'I heard about your story and you're such an inspiration.' It's crazy. You don't even realize how many people you're affecting just by telling your own story," said Hudon.
The family is happy to report that they do have accommodations, and the Pens have offered them the chance to come to a game while they're in Pittsburgh.
Anyone who wishes to help with the family's costs may use the "Dreaming's Not Enough" link on this page. Just scroll up three paragraphs in this story.
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