Watts Winery on a mission to raise awareness and end childhood affliction

Kyle Watts is going through treatment for his cancer, Burkitt’s lymphoma. The Watts family winery is donating 30 percent of the proceeds from certain wine sales for the research of childhood cancer. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

Watts Winery on a mission to raise awareness and end childhood affliction

By Marc Lutz
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

Saturday, April 11, 2009 6:44 AM PDT

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Kyle Watts went a week in October without eating. At first, his parents, Craig and Sheri Watts, the owners of Watts Winery in Lockeford, thought their normally shy middle child was sick with the flu.

A trip to the doctor confirmed something worse: Burkitt's lymphoma, a form of cancer.

After enduring treatment and fighting for their son's life, the Watts aren't just leaving the nightmare of childhood cancer behind them. They'll continue to fight it by raising awareness and funding for research through the sales of their wines.

Kyle Watts, 13, was nauseous, vomiting and extremely pale when his parents took him to the doctor on Oct. 21, 2008. Testing showed a lymphatic tumor blocking the passage from his stomach to his intestine, which was keeping food from passing through his body. With Burkitt's lymphoma, chemotherapy normally eradicates the tumor, but because of the blockage, this one had to be surgically removed. Chemo started on Oct. 26.

One of the fastest-growing cancers, Burkitt's doubles in size every 36 hours, making immediate treatment imperative. It was two months before the Watts family was able to return to the comfort of home, bringing Kyle with them.

Sheri Watts says one of the hardest trials has been the life-saving treament itself.

"It's amazing. He looks OK, but they put chemicals in him and he gets nauseated," Sheri Watts said. "The fight makes him sick, but that's what you have to do to survive."

Event at a glance

What: Release of "On Wings of Hope" line of wine from Watts Winery.
When: April 25, noon to 5 p.m.
Where: Watts Winery, inside Vino Piazza, 12470 Locke Road, Lockeford.
Why: Raise funds and awareness of childhood cancer.
Included: Live music from Lita Hope and Reel, games, face painting, various speakers. Event will be emceed by Nick Toma of Good Day Sacramento.
Information: www.wattswinery.com or 727-3751.
Source: Watts Winery

What is Burkitt's lymphoma?

Burkitt's lymphoma is a rare type of lymphoma that is found in two forms: sporadic and endemic. It is more commonly found in children.

Endemic Burkitt's lymphoma is found mainly in Africa and is related to the Epstein Barr Virus in 95 percent of its cases and is generally located in the jawbone and abdomen.

Sporadic Burkitt's lymphoma typically occurs in Europe and Americas. Sporadic Burkitt's affect the abdomen in 90 percent of cases, and the jawbone being affected is extremely rare.

Though the cancer is extremely aggressive and life-threatening, it is also one of the most curable cancers, and responds well to treatment.

An avid baseball player and swimmer, Kyle Watts has had to put his favorite pastimes on hold. When treatment first began, a series of intravenous tubes delivering medicine into his body lined Kyle Watts' left arm. The young outfielder is a lefty.

The IVs have since been replaced with a BROVIAC tube in Kyle Watts' neck that feeds the much-needed medicines down into his heart. Since the tube cannot get wet, his parents have to bathe him, making sure to avoid the plastic catheter.

The family has also had to adjust their everyday lives, keeping pets outside and cancelling parties — anything that could adversely affect Kyle Watts' immune system.

During treatment, Kyle Watts had to stay in the pediatric cancer ward of Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento. Not an easy task for someone as quiet as Kyle Watts.

"At first I was shy; then I started to make friends," Kyle Watts said. One such friend is a 15-year-old-boy named Jeffrey who is battling his secound bout with testicular cancer. The two share a love of sports and have formed a lasting bond.

Possibly the hardest part of Kyle Watts' treatment is the coming week. On Thursday, the Wattses will find out if Kyle Watts is finished with treatment.

"If all his (cell) counts are up on the 16th, that will be his last treatment," Sheri Watts said. "We're scared to death."

Though it will take at least six months for Kyle Watts to start regaining his energy, full recovery could take up to a year. But the family will be far from finished with their fight.

"This is something we're going to spend a lot of time on," Craig Watts said. "As long as we're in this business, we'll be (raising awareness of childhood cancer)."

To that end, Craig and Sheri Watts decided to set aside 1,000 bottles of red and white wines. Each bottle will have a label depicting a butterfly — an international symbol of the fight against childhood cancer. Thirty percent of the proceeds of each bottle will be donated to childhood cancer research. Part of the funds will go to the UC Davis Pediatric Research Center and part will go to Sutter Memorial.

On April 25 from noon to 5 p.m., a free event to raise awareness and donations will be held at the Watts Winery in Lockeford.

"Our vision is to eradicate cancer," Craig Watts said. "When our son came down with it, we thought it was someone telling us we had to do something."

Contact Business Editor Marc Lutz at marcl@lodinews.com.

Reader Feedback

Lodian wrote on Apr 11, 2009 7:03 PM:

" ---

"Our vision is to eradicate cancer," Craig Watts said. "When our son came down with it, we thought it was someone telling us we had to do something."

---

God bless you! "

Report Abuse

Lodian wrote on Apr 11, 2009 7:02 PM:

" Kyle: You are so brave. And you obviously have wonderful parents. You'll make it through this, Kyle. God bless you and your family. "

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