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My Kids
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Kaden was a happy, very healthy baby until around October 2006, when he
became very cranky and clingy. From October until December we were back
and forth to the doctor for unexplained symptoms. On December 18th he fell in
the backyard for no apparent reason, and he could not walk. We agreed with
the pediatrician that it was probably a pulled muscle, and he would get better in
a few days.
December 28th was the day that changed our lives forever. We went in
expecting to see an orthopedic specialist, and the pediatrician noticed petiche
(little bruises) all over his body and he looked pale. We were sent for blood
work, and when the pediatrician came in without looking at me, I knew
something was wrong. He said that Kaden's bloodwork was not good, and we
needed to go to the Children's Hospital right away to see a hematologist. I had
never heard of a hematologist before, but he did not want to say oncologist,
because he knew I would lose it.
The hematologist/oncologist came in and explained that his blood counts were
off, and she thought that he may have acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) but
there was still a chance that he had a bad infection. I was able to hold it
together until the final test results were in on December 29th which confirmed
her suspicions, and then I cried, the hysterical crying that you only see in the
movies where the woman falls on the floor with her hands over her face in
hysterics. I just knew that my baby was going to die.
Kaden was in the hospital for 9 days, and he endured 3 bone marrow
aspirations (long needles to extract marrow from the pelvis), a lumbar puncture
(chemo put in his spine), 4 blood transfusions, and three platelet transfusions,
along with surgery to place an internal portacath for chemo and blood draws.
He has had several adverse reactions to the chemo drugs, which is common
with toxins, and he goes every week to get poked for blood count checks. He
has been living this reality for 8 months, and he is only 2 years old. He will
continue with chemo until March of 2010.
We were told that he has a 90-95% chance of being cured, but that cure does
not come without a price. He may endure late effects, basically he may have
brain damage from the harsh chemo. He will need routine check ups to see if
the cancer is still in remission for the rest of his life, and he will be screened for
other cancers and heart problems that can occur from the toxic chemicals that
will hopefully save his life. I am very grateful to everyone who has worked to get
this far in treating childhood cancer, however we do not have a cure for every
child nor do we have a cure that gives all children who endure it a chance at a
normal life.
Through all of this and more he remains an active two-year-old who is full of life
thanks to the love and dedication of a wonderful medical team and the
wonderful families that came before us. We are thankful for everyday that we
get with our precious baby, and we look forward to seeing him grow up and
have a family of his own. My hope is that the kids of the next generation will not
have to worry about cancer. There are many diseases that no longer plague us
the way they once did, because doctors were able to figure out how to
eradicate them, that is what we need to do with childhood cancer.
Cancer is simply a group of cells gone bad, but targeting them and killing just
those cells is not as simple. We need to figure out how to do that, and with your
help we can. There are clinical trials out there right now that are not able to
take children, because there is not enough money to fund them. Every new trial
is one step closer to finding a cure for all of our precious children. If we work
together we can find a cure.
David & Wendy
became very cranky and clingy. From October until December we were back
and forth to the doctor for unexplained symptoms. On December 18th he fell in
the backyard for no apparent reason, and he could not walk. We agreed with
the pediatrician that it was probably a pulled muscle, and he would get better in
a few days.
December 28th was the day that changed our lives forever. We went in
expecting to see an orthopedic specialist, and the pediatrician noticed petiche
(little bruises) all over his body and he looked pale. We were sent for blood
work, and when the pediatrician came in without looking at me, I knew
something was wrong. He said that Kaden's bloodwork was not good, and we
needed to go to the Children's Hospital right away to see a hematologist. I had
never heard of a hematologist before, but he did not want to say oncologist,
because he knew I would lose it.
The hematologist/oncologist came in and explained that his blood counts were
off, and she thought that he may have acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) but
there was still a chance that he had a bad infection. I was able to hold it
together until the final test results were in on December 29th which confirmed
her suspicions, and then I cried, the hysterical crying that you only see in the
movies where the woman falls on the floor with her hands over her face in
hysterics. I just knew that my baby was going to die.
Kaden was in the hospital for 9 days, and he endured 3 bone marrow
aspirations (long needles to extract marrow from the pelvis), a lumbar puncture
(chemo put in his spine), 4 blood transfusions, and three platelet transfusions,
along with surgery to place an internal portacath for chemo and blood draws.
He has had several adverse reactions to the chemo drugs, which is common
with toxins, and he goes every week to get poked for blood count checks. He
has been living this reality for 8 months, and he is only 2 years old. He will
continue with chemo until March of 2010.
We were told that he has a 90-95% chance of being cured, but that cure does
not come without a price. He may endure late effects, basically he may have
brain damage from the harsh chemo. He will need routine check ups to see if
the cancer is still in remission for the rest of his life, and he will be screened for
other cancers and heart problems that can occur from the toxic chemicals that
will hopefully save his life. I am very grateful to everyone who has worked to get
this far in treating childhood cancer, however we do not have a cure for every
child nor do we have a cure that gives all children who endure it a chance at a
normal life.
Through all of this and more he remains an active two-year-old who is full of life
thanks to the love and dedication of a wonderful medical team and the
wonderful families that came before us. We are thankful for everyday that we
get with our precious baby, and we look forward to seeing him grow up and
have a family of his own. My hope is that the kids of the next generation will not
have to worry about cancer. There are many diseases that no longer plague us
the way they once did, because doctors were able to figure out how to
eradicate them, that is what we need to do with childhood cancer.
Cancer is simply a group of cells gone bad, but targeting them and killing just
those cells is not as simple. We need to figure out how to do that, and with your
help we can. There are clinical trials out there right now that are not able to
take children, because there is not enough money to fund them. Every new trial
is one step closer to finding a cure for all of our precious children. If we work
together we can find a cure.
David & Wendy
| www.CrazyCancerMom.com |
| One child lost is too many, One child saved... Can change the World. Alicia Hall |
| Kaden's Story |
| Diagnosed: December 28, 2006 Age: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Treatments are continuous until March 2010 Things you should know: |
| Kaden |
| Kaden |
| Meet some of My Kids! |
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