After leukemia, Otto Moriva is finding his way back to being a kid

If you spend a few minutes with 7-year-old Otto Moriva, it becomes clear pretty quickly that sitting still is not really his thing. 

There are mini golf courses to play, swimming pools to visit, and baseball games to attend. There are camping trips to take in his family’s new RV. The Grand Canyon is at the top of his bucket list.

To match his big dreams, Otto also has a big personality.

“He likes to chit-chat with anybody who will listen to him,” his mom, Stacy Moriva, said. “He has a really big heart.”

That spirit has carried Otto through an unexpected year that dramatically changed his active life.

In May 2025, Otto began limping and complaining of knee pain. His parents initially suspected a growth spurt, but the pain eventually became so severe that Otto stopped walking. The Morivas sought answers through their primary care provider in Stillwater, Minn., before being referred to rheumatology at Fairview, where bloodwork revealed something was wrong.

A team Otto could trust

On June 26, 2025, Otto was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or B-ALL. He was quickly transitioned into the care of the nationally ranked pediatric cancer team at Fairview Masonic Children’s University Hospital.

For his parents, Stacy and Chad Moriva, the diagnosis brought a rush of information and uncertainty. The care team explained what B-ALL was, what treatment would involve, and what the months ahead could look like.

Still, there was no way to prepare for how quickly their then-6-year-old's life would change, including losing the ability to walk independently.

Otto's bubbly personality, however, remained largely unchanged.

Lucie Turcotte, MD, first met Otto during his initial cycle of treatment. Turcotte, a pediatric hematologist and oncologist with University of Minnesota Physicians who cares for patients at Masonic Children's Hospital, recalls a 6-year-old who seemed older than his age – chatty, curious, and comfortable asking questions of the adults around him.

“He was just one of those kids who was really easy to get to know and get along with right away,” Turcotte said.

Ryann Lesser, APRN, CNP, one of Otto’s nurse practitioners, met him shortly after his first hospital discharge.

“He had a great attitude every single time I saw him, no matter what part of treatment he was in,” Lesser said. “He knew that no matter what we were going to do that day, it would be OK and we'd get through it.”

A community of care

Starting treatment meant that the Morivas had to adjust to a new normal. Otto spent the 2025-26 school year doing “homebound school,” meeting virtually with his teacher for an hour each day. Outside of that hour, much of his world revolved around treatment and recovery. His legs were painful and weak, and physical therapy became part of his routine as he worked toward regaining strength and mobility.

But amid the appointments, treatments, and recovery at Masonic Children's Hospital, Otto and his family found something they hadn’t expected: a community that came to know Otto not just as a patient, but as a kid.

Doctors, nurses, therapists, child family life specialists, music therapists, and volunteers became familiar faces. They stopped to talk with Otto, played games with him, and asked about whatever had captured his attention that day, often LEGO or Roblox. 

For Chad, those relationships gave his son opportunities to have moments when cancer didn’t have to be the focus.

Making strides

Eventually, Otto reached a milestone he and his family had been working toward: he walked again.

And in true Otto fashion, once he started, he didn’t exactly take it slow.

“I was like, ‘Slow down!’” Stacy said. “He went from zero to 5,000.”

For his parents, it was an emotional moment and a sign of how much strength Otto had regained after months of treatment and physical therapy. It was a glimpse of the little boy they knew returning to them, the kid who was constantly in motion, always ready for the next adventure.

His care team saw the transformation, too. Lesser remembers the child who initially couldn’t walk steadily, eventually returning to the activities he loved.

“He does everything now,” she said. “Not just walking. He’s out on the paddleboard. He’s going down water slides. He’s running.”

For Otto, getting back to being active meant getting back to being himself. He swims and rides his bike. He wants to play soccer. And he loves mini golf so much that the family seeks out courses whenever they go camping.

The summer after Otto’s diagnosis was extremely difficult for the Morivas. This summer, they decided to make up for some of what they’d missed. 

“We’re like, OK, we’re buying the RV and we’re traveling,” Stacy said.

The family put up a whiteboard in their living room with a list of places they want to visit, checking destinations off as they go. It’s a reminder of all the life yet to be lived.

Oh, the places he’ll go

More than a year after his diagnosis, Otto is in the maintenance phase of treatment. He takes chemotherapy pills at home and has in-person appointments just once a month, a welcome decrease from weekly visits at the height of treatment. But these days, his milestones aren't just medical ones. 

Otto has started second grade and loves being back at school with his friends. There are some accommodations and precautions because of his treatment, but he once again spends his days with classmates, learning, playing, and doing more of the things a 7-year-old should be doing. For Otto and his family, being back in the classroom is another sign of just how far he’s come.

For Turcotte, that’s one of the most meaningful parts of caring for children like Otto: watching their lives expand again beyond cancer.

“Having cancer is horrible and hard, but it doesn’t have to define your life,” she said. “There is so much more to [Otto] than that.” Otto is still in treatment. Leukemia is still part of his life. But so are mini golf and swimming. So are camping trips and baseball games. So is second grade.

And back home, there are still destinations waiting to be crossed off the family’s white board.

The Grand Canyon awaits.