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14-year-old Liv Perrotto from Pennsylvania has been fighting an aggressive cancer for four years.
Liv’s battle began in 2021 when her family thought she just had a stubborn illness.
Instead, doctors found a rare tumor near her carotid artery.
The diagnosis was undifferentiated sarcoma. It grows fast and hits hard.
Since then Liv has taken on round after round of chemotherapy, radiation, surgeries, and clinical trials.
She’s been in remission twice.
She relapsed again this spring and the cancer spread to several spots in her body, including the protective layers around her brain and spine.
Doctors now say she has only months left without a new option.
URGENT HELP NEEDED: This is Liv Perrotto — an incredible little girl with cancer who’s just been given six months to live
Doctors are attempting to throw in the towel. But she’s REFUSING to quit.
Liv’s trying to get her case in front of @DrPatSoonShiong ASAP, and @US_FDA… pic.twitter.com/hVa15JtJBr
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) November 23, 2025
A Possible Breakthrough Stuck Behind Red Tape
That’s why Liv’s family is pushing for emergency access to an immunotherapy drug called Anktiva.
It’s a cutting-edge treatment developed by ImmunityBio and approved by the FDA last year for bladder cancer in adults.
It works by activating the body’s own immune system, especially natural killer cells and memory T cells.
In clinical studies published by the FDA in April 2024, the drug produced complete responses in as many as 71 percent of bladder cancer patients who had no other good options.
But the FDA hasn’t approved Anktiva for children. It’s not approved for sarcoma, either.
The only path forward for Liv is what’s known as “compassionate use.”
That means the government has to give special permission for a doctor to try an experimental treatment on a dying patient.
Thousands Rally Behind Liv Online
Independent journalist Nick Sortor shared Liv’s story on X on November 23. It pulled in more than 79,000 views in a single day.
Supporters tagged Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire founder of ImmunityBio, and asked him to personally get involved.
Others tagged Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is serving in the federal cabinet, hoping he could cut through the red tape.
Through all this, Liv has not stopped living her life. She loves space exploration. She’s visited Japan.
She’s flown on private jets arranged by billionaire astronaut Jared Isaacman, who has supported several pediatric cancer patients.
Nevada Families Understand This Fight
Families in our state deal have to deal with the federal roadblocks when they need fast answers, too.
New drugs, treatments, or access to trials at a research hospital in California, Washington, or Texas – all are impeded by the slow pace in D.C., and it puts kids at risk.
A 2020 study published in Health Affairs found that FDA delays in pediatric compassionate-use cases have cost young patients valuable time and, in many cases, their lives.
That study is often cited by doctors who support giving families more control when standard treatments fail.
Critics argue that skipping steps in the approval process could expose patients to unsafe drugs. That concern is real and worth noting.
But supporters of compassionate access point out that families like Liv’s understand the risks.
They aren’t asking just for the hell of it. They’re asking to be given a chance.
Many Nevadans may remember the debates around Right to Try laws a few years back.
Those laws passed because people were tired of federal agencies acting like parents instead of partners.
Liv’s story is one more reminder of why those reforms mattered and why more changes may still be needed.
How To Stand With Liv
If you want to help, Liv’s family is asking people to share her story and donate to the family’s long-running GoFundMe.
They’re not giving up. They’re praying for time, and for someone in power to step in and give her her best chance.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. Digital technology was used in the research, writing, and production of this article. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
