12-Year-Old Northwest Territories Cancer Patient Preserves Fertility Through New Procedure

Fort Good Hope resident Chloe Dixon was diagnosed with the aggressive cancer rhabdomyosarcoma last summer and has been receiving surgery and chemotherapy at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. As part of a collaborative effort with Mount Sinai Fertility Clinic, doctors offered her ovarian tissue cryopreservation, a process that extracts one ovary, freezes it, and stores it for potential future implantation. Pediatric oncologist Kriti Kumar explained that preserving tissue is crucial because many cancer treatments can accelerate the loss of a woman's finite egg supply, leading to early menopause.

The program, still in its early stages, has treated fewer than 20 pediatric patients and has not yet re-implanted any tissue. Chloe underwent the procedure in August 2025 and is now in the maintenance phase of chemotherapy, looking forward to returning to school. Her father, Paul Dixon, described the decision as overwhelming at first but ultimately a valuable option for her long-term wellbeing.