Logan’s journey began with a stomach ache and an emergency room visit on November 18, 2014. Two months later, to the day, after 4 pediatrician visits and 3 emergency room visits; Logan was diagnosed with Stage 4 High Risk Mycn Amplified Neuroblastoma. We were in the hospital for a month before being able to leave, and our lives were changed forever. Our worst nightmare began, a journey that will last a lifetime for us and for Logan.
Logan had six surgeries in the midst of five rounds of chemotherapy, followed by stem cell transplant, radiation, and immunotherapy with two more surgeries. We were able to utilize holistic treatments like an organic feeding supplement called Nourish, essential oils, and other treatments to hopefully negate some of the damage of chemotherapy and to heal Logan’s body from the inside out. We are now in the middle of a 2 year trial called DFMO that will hopefully keep Logan cancer free forever! The trial will end in May of 2018 and then hopefully we will be done with treatments forever.
Logan has scans every three months to watch for new cancer growth. There are lots of side effects from the poisons that are put into a child who has cancer. He has had hearing loss from the treatments but we worry about significant health risks including new cancers.
The diagnosis and treatments have affected our family in every way. We went from being a “normal, every day” family to being a cancer family with all that comes with that. Massive medical bills, time apart from each other, side effects from chemotherapy and treatments, fears that come from every ailment, dealing with insurance, and the constant worry that comes from having to think about Logan’s future are all things that now make up our new “normal.”
There have been many obstacles along the way that have been difficult such as caring for three other children while traveling for Logan’s care. Being gone for days and weeks on end and most of all the fears that come every single day when Logan has a random fever, a stomach pain, or any ache that causes us as parents to fear that the cancer is back has all taken a toll.
We have been so very blessed in our journey. Our community, friends and family, have surrounded us by raising money for medical bills, bringing us suppers, and loving us and our four children. Our faith in God has been an integral part of our journey. I am so thankful that in our weakest moments, we had the faith of our family, friends, and community surrounding us to hold us up! It took a village to get us this far and we are so thankful to every person in that village who was a part of our journey and who will continue to be a part of our journey in the future!
We have walked through a valley no family ever would want to walk through, but we are walking out with our faith intact and are excited about the future that God has led us to and Logan’s testimony in the future. God has turned our ashes into beauty. The fact that we are now able to walk through this valley with other families who are going through the same thing that we have and hopefully we are able to give them a bit of hope and and an ear from someone who truly understands what they are going through.
Thank you again for this amazing organization that blesses families just like ours! Our photographer was amazing and we are so grateful to her for her gift to our family and your organization for putting it all together! It was a dream come true for us to be able to go to Hawaii for Logan’s make-a-wish. The cherry on top for us to have family photographs that we will treasure forever and that we will be able to pass down not only to Logan, but to our daughters for a keepsake!
