Adrian is a stranger lover. I don’t know how else to say that other than he loves to talk and love on people he doesn’t know. He loves his iPad and is so good on Roblox that I sometimes wonder if the kids realize they are playing with a 4-year-old. He loves scary things and Halloween the most. Even during summer, he asks if we can go to the Halloween store. So when we saw spirit signs go up later, his whole being lit up.
Adrian was diagnosed with T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Feb of 2021 after a family weekend getaway in Tahoe. Since then he has been nothing short of amazing as most of these warriors are. At the time his little sister was 11 months old and this treatment has allowed them to grow up together at home.
Before he was diagnosed, Adrian was having what I would describe as shortness of breath. At first, I thought it was due to the altitude change at Tahoe. We then discovered a lump on his neck. We went to the ER the next day after consulting with a Dr. via a telehealth appointment. It took one x-ray to discover he had a huge mass growing on his chest.
Adrian has been through the normal ALL protocol; many scans, port, and PICC line surgeries, blood clots, and many spinals and transfusions. I would say we are trying to live life to the fullest – cancer has stolen enough time and with two years left of active treatment, we are not going to stop living.
Cancer has changed things for us. We were always a spontaneous, on-the-go kind of family. We still strive to be this way with masks and caution. Adrian was in full-time day care and we all worked but now we stay home to take care of both kids full-time. We had to sell our food truck business and are trying to start life over again.
John is part of USF men’s basketball and loves his team and university. John is outgoing and friendly, loves to meet people, and loves to tell jokes. John was the “mayor” of school before diagnosis and being to be pulled to be homeschooled.
John was diagnosed with Leukemia on May 24th of 2022. Before his diagnosis, he had started to run fevers that were not ordinary for him. He lost energy and lost interest in his activities. His personality changed from outgoing to reserved and timid.
John is in delayed intensification, he receives chemo injections 3x weekly. He has had about 12 lumbar punctures under anesthesia and too many blood product transfusions to count. John has to be homeschooled so I (his father) cannot work.
John is an identical twin and cancer treatment has resulted in a lot of separation. His twin is experiencing anxiety and depression as a result. Other than that, our journey is typical. We have increased expenses with lowered income. Lost weeks in the hospital and a lot of guilt.
Jacob is 17 and will be going to college next year when he graduates. He is such a smart kid. He has taken all AP and IB classes. Cancer never slowed him down for too long. He aspires to be an Anesthesiologist. He loves life! He is a little shy at first but warms up quickly. He is such an amazing kid and I’m so proud of him.
Jacob was diagnosed with T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on August 17th, 2016. Prior to being diagnosed, he was tired, had knee pain, and was vomiting.
He’s been through a lot! So many types of chemotherapies and 39 lumbar punctures. He lost his hair and his strength….but he is a fighter and is almost back to normal.
Cancer has changed so many things – his diagnosis has made us all more thankful for every little wonderful thing!
Jacob maintained all A’s and played baseball throughout his treatment. He doesn’t play baseball anymore because he’s so focused on his grades and school. He is a survivor and has accomplished so much!
Emma is really cute and a dance party girl, although chemotherapy and steroids have changed her mood completely. She is a little shy but loves dancing, bubbles, snuggles, baby shark, and Blippi.
Emma was diagnosed with Leukemia on July 15, 2021. For about a month before her diagnosis, she was really low in energy, not active or playing as usual with her sister. Some days she had a very low fever so I was waiting for other symptoms to appear but they never did. We took her to her pediatrician three times. I thought maybe it could be an ear infection but they checked her and she didn’t have anything. Next time, the same thing happened and they said that I should continue giving her Tylenol. And then we saw abnormal bruises on her legs. I googled her symptoms and leukemia was the result and that’s how it all began.
The first day she was diagnosed she was transported on a life flight to the medical center by herself (because of COVID restrictions) and because they thought she might need emergency brain surgery. Thank God that wasn’t the case but the life flight was a really scary moment. She has been through blood and platelet transfusions, and many procedures including bone marrow aspirations, port access, catheter placements, and chemotherapy.
We have had to abide by high sanitation protocols, limited contact with people, no school, and avoid indoor public spaces. For many days after chemotherapy, she would be really tired and not feel good. This has all happened recently and it has turned our lives upside down.
Emma has quite an obsession with hair, she will spend hours brushing her own, along with her mom’s, sister’s, and Barbies hair. We think she is going to be a hairstylist. She also has adorable curly hair and we know that when she loses her hair it might come back different so we want to document those beautiful locks for her.
Everett is well-spoken, intelligent, and curious. He loves trains, being outdoors, and enjoying life. He is so very kind and sweet and a little feisty too! He loves family time at home the best or anywhere that the three of us spend quality alone time together. He’s very family-oriented and a big mama’s boy who enjoys lots of snuggles. His new kitty Arthur makes him laugh the hardest right now but he also likes to play tricks on Daddy and play “tickle-chase” or “catch that bad guy” both games involving one or both of his parents chasing him around the house in attempts to catch him in an intense police chase or to tickle him depending on the chosen game.
Everett was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in December of 2020, a mere few months after his 2nd birthday. He became sick with what seemed like a virus—or so we were told and reassured the multiple times I took him in to see a LIP. He became increasingly irritable, clingy, fatigued, febrile, and pale. I knew something else was going on so I took him into urgent care and the MD listened to my concerns and tested him for everything. His hemoglobin came back critically low and she informed me to take him to the nearest ER immediately and thus began his work up followed by his diagnosis.
Everett has endured countless lumbar punctures, he’s undergone surgery for port placement, had a bronchoscopy, three bone marrow aspirations, and a multitude of chemo drugs given via IV, a shot, or orally. He has also had chemo injected into his spine (CNS Fluid) and has had way too many Covid swabs to count—his absolute least favorite thing in the whole wide world and the very thing that causes him the most anxiety. He has had many needle pokes and port accesses and we’ve had to be incredibly cautious because of the severe immunocompromised state he was in during the pandemic. Everett continues to be Immunocompromised, has fluctuating eating habits, an implanted port, neuropathy, anxiety and some PTSD.
Cancer has absolutely changed our lives; it has brought us closer together but it has also created a lot of anxiety and emotional trauma along with the physical and mental pains and traumas Everett has experienced firsthand.
We are so thrilled to reach these big milestones and to end treatment when not long ago it felt like these days were forever away. We are excited to share the world with our son and give him a taste of some of the greater things life has to offer and also to just let him be a young boy who can jump and splash into puddles without the significant fear of possibly falling ill. We want him to be able to live and do the things he wants to do. There is also a dark side to this in that chemo has been our safety net for so long – it’s a scary to think that we are coming off the very med that helped kill the cancer that was trying to take our boy from us.
Mara has the most incredible imagination. She loves to read, dance, sing, and perform. She is strong beyond belief. She loves playing tennis and riding her bike. She is a brilliant and loving child and we are so lucky she is ours.
Mara was diagnosed with B-Cell ALL in September 2020. She just finished treatment, on November 17th, 2022. Unexplained fevers were the only symptom that Mara presented with prior to diagnosis.
In her two years of treatment, Mara has had 17 lumbar punctures, endless chemotherapy infusions, several hospitalizations requiring prolonged inpatient stays, has taken hundreds of pills, and had two different medical port placements. She also experienced a seizure as a consequence of a bad reaction to one of her treatments. Mara and our family went through this journey during COVID while we were largely unable to see friends and family. Mara’s cancer diagnosis also came shortly after her younger sister’s first birthday, and Mara’s treatment continued throughout the first years of her little sister’s life.
We never imagined our child would have to endure what Mara has experienced in the past two years. Her cancer diagnosis has altered the entire narrative of our family’s story.
Mara endured the majority of her treatment during COVID, when hospital procedures were adjusted to keep patients safe. As a result, we didn’t have the opportunity to connect with many other children or families during our cancer journey.
