Josie came into our care as a foster child when she was one. For us, my son was a heart patient and we had already spent months in the hospital because of his condition. He was the reason we fostered a “medically fragile” child in the first place. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have had the courage to take on a child like Josie. We would have been too afraid. She was so frail and sad when we met her. We immediately loved her though. At age 2 1/2 we adopted her.
She had already received surgery and radiation. She had been neglected and was removed from that horrible situation and placed with us. She was going through chemo at the time she came to us.
When Josie was about six months old, she was brought to the hospital with an extremely high fever. Her biological parents had missed that her stomach was extremely distended. She was immediately transferred to Vanderbilt. There the doctors removed her left kidney. It was then that she was diagnosed with Wilms Tumor.
Josie had weekly chemotherapy treatments and she was admitted around every other week for a fever. Usually 6 days after every treatment. We would have to live there for 5 to 8 days every time. She had a port, and any time they get a fever the doctors have to treat it like the child has an infection. So, IV antibiotics & a hospital stay until their blood count numbers come up. She needed blood & platelets often.
The daily vomiting & hospitalization was a big obstacle. My parents stayed with my boys every other week while Josie was hospitalized because my husband had to work. On top of that she had DCS and family visits. She was so underweight, I think partly from her parents neglect and partly from the chemotherapy. The doctor was thrilled when we brought her in and Josie had gained weight. I don’t think the biologicals fed her well. The doctor was like, “How did you get her to gain weight?” Luckily, I had some pediasure type shakes that my boy had outgrown (he is tube fed).
Josie is 4 months from being considered a survivor now! I believe her cancer saved her from living the rest of her life being neglected. Her situation was terrible.
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