Andrew spent months with high fevers, a weird “virus” and “cold” that just seemed to never go away. Towards the end of September, he had stopped being able to walk and eat pretty much at all and he was unable to turn his head without screaming in pain. When I had called the on call doctor I made it clear I wasn’t going to leave without answers.
I knew something was wrong with my kid more than just a normal cold or virus. We had been tested for meningitis and then sent on our way again with some iron pills for a very low hemoglobin. The next morning, I received a phone call from his pediatrician and was they were very concerned that we were sent away again. They had us admitted to Helen DeVos in Grand Rapids.
Within 24 hours, we had learned our diagnosis of Neuroblastoma Stage 4 aggressive cancer. Our world was flipped upside down. My oldest son, Aiden, was uprooted from his family and moved into my parents house. We spent almost the first 7 months pretty much in the hospital. We were only home for a couple days at a time before a fever spiked or something else came up and had to be re-admitted.
We are happy to be over with chemo and radiation and spending more time at home but next is the immunotherapy with some more admissions.
Hope session by Janelle Darnell Photography | Facebook | Instagram