Ethan is a sweet, goofy, fun loving kid! He LOVES lego brick heads, and bluey. Those two things kept us distracted during long hospital stays.
Ethan was diagnosed with T Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia May 7th, 2021. Prior to his diagnosis, he had fevers that wouldn’t go away, fatigue, headaches, vomiting, and paleness.
His treatment has included brain radiation, numerous lumbar puncture procedures, IV chemotherapy, and daily oral chemotherapy.
Cancer has presented many challenges for our family. We are constantly trying to help Ethan balance his daily life while managing his symptoms.
Nathan was born with Down Syndrome and was diagnosed with ASD at 26 months old. He is non verbal, and high sensory, but is fighting hard against cancer each day with a smile. He is also a big fan of animal sounds.
On August 2nd 2022,he was diagnosed with leukemia. The biggest indicator that something was wrong was that his skin color was ‘off’.
He is wearing a backpack for chemo until February 20th. We are looking forward to a short break before he starts the interim maintenance phase of treatment.
This has all been very challenging but we are taking it one day at a time.
Chase is very quiet with people outside our family. He loves trucks (garbage, construction, emergency/fire trucks), He also loves Paw Patrol and Bluey. He is a curious kid with many questions about the world. His brothers make him laugh more than anyone else.
Chase was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in May 2022, shortly after he turned 3 1/2 years old. We originally brought him to the doctor for unexplained bruising. We are so grateful that our doctor took our concerns seriously and within hours of our initial phone call, we received a diagnosis. Never in a million years did we envision this for our family but we have felt so supported by the childhood cancer community.
He has been through multiple lumbar punctures and bone marrow biopsies. He has spent 54 nights in the hospital since May 2022 receiving various chemotherapy treatments (twice for unplanned admissions due to fevers). In general, He has been able to keep up with his two brothers and his friends. There are days when he occasionally feels unwell, but we are thankful those have been limited and his team works hard to manage his symptoms.
Chase is the middle of three children under the age of 6, so his diagnosis has impacted everyone. We thought before his diagnosis that we were struggling with giving each child their fair share of attention, but that has become even more true. We have missed out on important milestones (our oldest son’s first day of kindergarten) because we were in the hospital. We have also learned to have more patience and grace with each other and value the time we have as a family more deeply.
We are really proud of Chase for how he has handled this diagnosis. He has done everything we have asked of him (and more!) and it has given us a profound insight into his character and heart.
Bonnie is so happy. Even with her struggles, she remains so bright and positive. She loves everything you would expect a four year old girl to love: pink, purple, unicorns, fairies, rainbows and sunshine.
Bonnie was diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on June 10th after going to the ED with a fever of 107. She received several emergency blood transfusions and was hospitalized. She started chemo the very next day. She’s had to stay home, away from family and friends for many, many months.
She has been doing chemo for 5 months straight. She received almost weekly spinal taps and port procedures. She’s an only child with no family nearby, so this has been extremely isolating for her.
We hope these images will help her to see how beautiful she is, even without her hair – images that we can look back on and feel some joy in the midst of so much pain and sadness.
Austyn is the most caring most loving human being. She still puts everyone’s needs above her own – her heart is made of gold, with a dash of sass, and a sprinkle of ornery. She is the biggest animal lover of all kinds. She loves to sing and dance and has the most contagious laugh.
Austyn was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at age 6 on Aug 27, 2021. Before her diagnosis, she had broken two bones within two months and then her knee began to swell with intense pain and she was unable to bear any weight. Blood tests revealed the ALL.
We traveled from Wichita to KC for chemo/treatment every week for 9 months and she just completed her 18th of 22 spinal taps. Her treatment doesn’t end until 11-3-2023. She’s been flown to KC from Wichita 3 times due to fever and neutropenia.
Cancer has changed many things for us, especially with her three sisters – one older two younger and there’s always “special treatment” whether it’s intended or not. We have a different outlook on the “small things” that used to be upsetting that really don’t matter when your family is faced with something this life changing.
I have never heard Austyn complain about treatment. She’s cried from being scared or winced from pain but has never complained. She’s a true warrior.
Ali is amazing – she is kind, funny, sweet, caring (she spends a lot of time helping the autistic students at her school), smart, and beautiful. She is all-around amazing! She is in her last year of elementary school (which is 4th grade at her school) and turns 10 in June! She loves crafting, playing with her little sister and younger cousins, and cooking. Right now, she is involved with a running club, robotics club, dance class, and Girl Scouts.
Ali was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on July 27th 2020. It was at the beginning of the pandemic…Ali had a few low-grade fevers, followed by a huge drop in energy and a greenish tint to her skin. In the days of virtual pediatrician visits and taking weeks to get Covid test results, we took her to the ER after a week thinking she might have liver or kidney issues. After the ER incorrectly diagnosed her with MIS-C, we were transported by ambulance to Nemours in Delaware where Ali was diagnosed with cancer two days later.
Ali has had 800 days of treatment and spent almost 40 nights in the hospital. She has had nearly 20 spinal taps, two entire months connected to a trial drug 24/7 (where she could only shower in the hospital every Friday), trips to the hospital (an hour away) weekly or twice a week for the first year of treatment and monthly for the next 1.5 years.
Our anxiety and worry will never go away (along with cancer PTSD) but it has also made us appreciate things more and cherish the moment because you never know when things might change.
